


WUN: Among the Stars

by DelilahAzure



Series: Waking Up Normal [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Multi, recommended that you at least read the first act of waking up normal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-05-14 12:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 159,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14769326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahAzure/pseuds/DelilahAzure
Summary: A collection of oneshots set in the Waking Up Normal universe, told by a variety of characters throughout the timeline of the story.





	1. Counting Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Yuuka Hattori (Sasaki)  
> Summary: Living in the Satellite is hard, being involved with a duel gang is harder. Supposedly, being active in a gang is even harder, not that Yuuka would know.

_Yuuka_

* * *

"Team Satisfaction?" We all mutter to ourselves.

"Yes," Kiryu begins. "The name's Team Satisfaction, because we want to satisfy ourselves. It's a chance to really change our lives here in the Satellite. We're not gonna let our lives be shit just because Security says so!"

I must admit, what Kiryu is saying makes a lot of sense. We may have only befriended Kiryu like, two weeks ago, but I feel like we've really bonded as a group. Kiryu seems to slot really well into the little group that's Jack, Crow, Yusei and I. It's strange to say, but it kinda feels like he was meant to be there. Like him saving me from some creepy guys with less than stellar intentions was fate.

"That would be great," I say. "The five of us, being in a duel gang, kicking everyone's asses and-"

"Five of us?" Kiryu looks at me confused.

"That's how many of us are here, so I assumed…"

"Yuuka, you're not strong enough to be in a duel gang." Crow butts in first.

"You got cornered by two guys the other day and couldn't escape." Jack continues. "What makes you think you could handle being in a duel gang?"

"I-I-" I start to stammer.

"Yuuka, this is for the best." Yusei gives me these eyes like he's trying to calm me down before something bad happens. "We're just worried about what could happen to you."

"We don't mean to offend you, Yuuka." Kiryu sighs. "We just think that you're not ready for it yet."

"But I think I am." I shoot right back. "Let me prove it then. I made the jackets. You all said nothing as I made five of them. I found some shitty ass jackets in the dumpster. Sure, the pockets don't work but the jackets do their job. I put the fur on them. You all said nothing the entire time."

"Yuuka, we didn't want to upset you." Yusei tries to interject, but it's too late.

"Well, you should have told me before I got my hopes up."

"Fine," Kiryu sighs. I feel my hopes starting to lift again. "I'll make you a deal." Let down again. "Prove to me that you're able for this. You just have to show me, end of story. Okay?"

"Seems reasonable." I bit my cheek. It shouldn't be that bad, maybe I could duel him or something.

"For now, just leave everything to the pros."

* * *

I hate the silence in our headquarters when the guys leave. Everytime they go out to fight a gang, I get left here all by myself. They tell me to keep a duel disk close at all times in case something happens. A key fact they're forgetting is that I'm the worst duelist out of the five of us. They're facing Team Black and Blue today. I start getting out the bandages. I know my friends. They're stupid and will get hurt. Especially Kiryu. He's too reckless for his own good, and that's coming from  _me_. Me, who's won the biggest dumbass of the year award for the fourteenth year running. Then, I realise that there's only a small amount of gauze left. I sigh, getting to my feet. I'll go see if I can find any in the market. If not, I'll take my chances in the junkyard. I found our team jackets there, so it's worth a shot. The City will throw anything that has even the slightest defect there. It's actually quite impressive how much goes to waste in the City. A jacket is still a jacket, even if the pockets don't work.

I practically jog along until I reach the market. I scan the stalls, nothing. I expected as much. It's off to the junkyard with me then. I suddenly get the feeling that I'm being watched. I look over my shoulder. I swear I hear some footsteps, but I keep watching. I hear them again, and I stop. I stand still, waiting for signs that I'm being followed.

I must be going crazy.

Just to be certain, I try to take a shortcut through the alleyways. The footsteps come back. I swallow hard. I feel sweat on the back of my neck. I start running blindly. Running in any direction, I don't care. Warning signals are going off in my head and I don't care about anything else.

Someone stands at the end of an alleyway. I come to a stop a good bit away from them. I look back. Someone else is blocking the way I came.

"Hey girlie, are you with Team Satisfaction?" The boy in front of me asks. He can't be more than two years older than me, I reckon. He starts moving closer to me. I start backing up. I look back and the other guy is moving closer to me.

"No, I'm not part of their team." I answer, not actually lying.

"Well, you're wearing their uniform." The other one pipes up. "The exact same jacket, down to the fur."

"They're coping my stylistic choices." I chuckle nervously. "Better get onto to them about it."

"I think you're lying."

"Me too."

"Even if you're not part of the team, you're obviously very close to them." The guy in front of me keeps walking forward, to the point that I can smell the musk coming off him. "I would be a shame if something… happened, wouldn't it?"

Shit.

I look back over my shoulder. The other guy's got my back covered. So, I have no way out. I can't get around their sides. They're a lot taller and broader than me. Being the dumbass I am, I forgot my duel disk so that's out the window.

"You're coming with us." The guy behind me says, giving me the shivers.

"And if I refuse?"

"We'll be doing this the hard way, and knock you out." The guy in front of me shrugs his shoulders. "Honestly, if I were you, I'd just come with us. We don't want to carry you back to our base. Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you at all. This is more of a ransom deal."

"Where will you be taking me?" I ask again.

"Fear Unit's hideout."

"We've made sure your teammates know where you are." The other one continues. "They'll be so tired after fighting Team Black and Blue, that they'll lose to us after trying to rescue you. Then, we'll have all of Team Satisfaction's territory. It's simple, really."

"You think they'll lose against you?" I scoff. "You have another thing coming. Team Satisfaction can't lose."

The man in front of me strikes me across the face. My hand flies up to hold my throbbing cheek. His hand flies up again and I flinch.

"Don't make me raise my hand again." There's burning anger in his eyes. I feel the air around me cool. I just nod my head. "If you know what's best for you, you'll come quietly."

"Fine, I'll go with you." I answer, judging it to be the safest thing to do. The sting in my cheek tells me that trying to run away now would be a bad idea. "Just know that if there's a scratch on me, Team Satisfaction will beat you within an edge of your life." I over exaggerate a little, but that's more for my safety than anything else.

" _Sure._ " I think he's calling my bluff.

The guys walk directly in front and behind me, only taking me through alleyways so I don't have any horizontal space to escape. Even though they're both, probably, physically strong enough to knock me out in one go.

"Do you guys have any spare gauze?" I ask to break the silence. "I was looking for some when I got ambushed and-"

"No." One of them interrupts me. He just wants me to shut up.

"Geez, I was just asking."

Back to radio silence.

"So-" I try to start again.

"Shut up." The guy in front of me must be having a bad day today.

"Okay, I get the point."

We arrive at the Fear Unit base. An old apartment building, with part of the top floors missing. I can tell it's an old apartment block by the way it's divided up on the inside. They lead me up a flight of stairs and into an old apartment. It's completely empty except for a chair in the middle of the room, and some rope. I can see where this is going.

"Miguel!" One of them shouts. A tall and lanky red-haired kid runs into the room. I notice that he already has one marker across his nose. It stands out against his tanned skin.

"Yes?" He asks before the rope gets thrown at him.

"Make sure she doesn't escape."

"Yes sir." He flinches as they pass him and leave the room the way we came. "I'm sorry about this." He says, turning to me. "I have to do this, or they'll tie me to a chair and leave me there."

"Sounds harsh."

"Yeah, those guys are literally the worst. That's probably why the boss sent them after you." Miguel shakes his head. "What's your name, by the way? We might be here for a while, so we might as well be civil."

"It's Yuuka. I would say nice to meet you, but it's not really." I shrug my shoulders. "Your name's Miguel, right?"

"Yeah, I would rather us have met under different circumstances too. But hey, what can you do?" He gestures to the chair, which he's moved closer to the door. I notice it's on the opposite sides of the hinges, so the door won't hit me if it swings open. "I'm gonna have to ask you to sit down. I'll tie the rope kinda loose for you. No offense, but you don't look strong enough to beat me and you have no duel disk."

"Don't remind me." I sigh, sitting down. I put my arms behind the chair on instinct. Miguel does make me feel at ease. I'm happy it's at least someone my age who doesn't look sleazy. He reminds me of Crow a little bit actually. It's probably the markers and big red hair.

"Don't worry." He says randomly. "Their plan is not to hurt you. You're mostly here so they can lure out Team Satisfaction and have the odds in our favour. I'm sorry it went this way."

"That's good at least."

"Are you actually a member of Team Satisfaction?" He asks. "That's what the boss is saying. Apparently, there's a rumour going around that there's a fifth member of Team Satisfaction and he reckons it's you. We've been doing some recon lately."

"Actually, no." I test the rope now that Miguel's finished tying it. I might be able to get out of it, if I tried hard enough. "I am friends with them. I made the jackets, so I got to have one. I kinda take care of them. Cook for them, put bandages on them when they're done being stupid."

"They're lucky to have you."

"You think so?" I ask.

"Yeah, I have a friend like you." He moves to my feet. He barely ties the rope. He makes a rather bad attempt at the knot. I look down at it, he winks at me. He's purposefully leaving them loose. "I don't know what I'd do without them, to be honest. Whenever he gets dragged into Fear Unit stuff, I always feel bad. I don't think it's very fair." He stands and looks down with me, a glint in his baby blue eyes. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," I answer, "that's how I feel right now."

"I can imagine." He sighs. Miguel moves to the doorway, he swings it over nearly all of the way. He sits down on the ground and fiddles with his duel disk. "Tell me if you need water or anything. I don't know how much food we have, but I have a flask of water here with me."

"Thank you," I say. "I'm glad you're the one keeping watch instead of some creepy old guy." He laughs.

"That's fair." I see him shake his head from the corner of my eye. "I hope if the situation gets reversed, you'll help me out."

"Yeah, you've been very nice to me considering I've just been kidnapped."

"Don't worry about it-"

"Miguel!" I hear one of the guys from earlier shout. Miguel pulls the door closed. I hear some shuffling and then silence.

Miguel doesn't open the door again. I sit there in the silence. I wrestle my feet out of the rope and click my heels together. I don't have that luck with my hands, so they stay behind my back.

It's a few hours that I'm sat there waiting. I pass the time mostly by thinking of ways my current situation can get worse. It scares me, but at least it keeps my brain busy.

I stand up off the chair easily, since my hands aren't bound to the chair. I stretch my arms down, and step my feet backwards through the gap. Now, I can at least rest my bound hands in my lap. I'm already getting very bad rope burn, my wrists are raw red above my black fingerless gloves. I sit back on the chair and groan as the sun starts to shine through the glass-less window. The guys better get there asses here quick.

I hear a duel disk activate, and the door open. I glance through the crack, but Miguel blocks my vision. The door gets thrown open and I jump back, nearly knocking my chair over. A fist comes straight for Miguel's face. The punch lands, but he manages to keep on his feet.

"She's right there!" Miguel yells at Jack looming over him. "I just told you that. Take her, there's a fire escape back the way you came."

Jack lowers his duel disk silently, before stepping to the side and grabbing my arm. I stand up. As soon as I do, he starts running.

"What did you think you were doing!?" Jack shouts back at me as we run.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jack shoots a glare. There's a loud crashing noise upstairs and we freeze. We've stopped just short of a closet in the hallway. He looks between the door and I. He opens the door and throws me inside. I trip and fall into a bucket. Jack slams the door shut, leaving me there.

"What the fuck?" I curse to myself. I manage to get myself out of the nasty bucket that is slightly slimy. "How dare he."

I sit myself back on the ground and wait for the storm outside to blow over. Will Jack even remember what closet I'm in? Am I doomed to die alone here?

The corridor outside becomes quiet. I hear a lone pair of footsteps pass the door. They stop for a second. I hold my breath. They keep going. I focus on the footsteps, trying to see if I recognise them. I lean forward and crack the door open. I look down the corridor. I put effort into creaking the door.

"Yuuka!" Yusei whispers loudly as he runs back to me. "I found you."

"Jack told you that he threw me into the closet?" I whisper back.

"Yep," he nods. "Kiryu's dueling the boss. I was told to get you out of here."

"Okay, help me up." Yusei grabs my elbow that I point in his direction. He seems confused but then nods when he spots the rope still tied around my wrists.

"This way." Yusei grabs my arm gently and leads back down the corridor. We pass by the room that I was in. I stop.

"You might want this." Miguel holds out a pocket knife for me. I take it with both of my hands. "The fire escape is just down there." Miguel looks at Yusei before looking down the hallway in the direction we came from.

"Thank you." Yusei nods before beginning to jog with me, still holding onto my arm.

He helps me climb out the window onto the fire escape. We squat, hiding from view. Yusei looks around us, seeing if we're safe. He takes the knife from my hands and cuts the rope, before giving the knife back to me.

"Keep this," he says. "It might come in handy."

"Especially after this, you'll never give me a break after this." Yusei gives me a look. He knows I'm right, but he thinks that I kind of deserve it.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

We sit in an alleyway in silence until the guys come find us. I think they agreed on a meeting point beforehand.

"Yuuka, what happened?" Crow runs towards me, grabs me by both of my arms and shakes me. "Did they hurt you?"

"I got slapped." I touch my cheek, which still stings a little. "But aside from that, I'm fine. The kid who watched the door was surprisingly nice, even though Jack punched him in the face."

"At least you're okay." Kiryu sighs. I notice a nasty-looking cut on his arm. I pout slightly. If only I actually found the gauze that I was looking for. I notice cuts and scrapes all over the guys' faces and arms.

"Did you guys win at least?" I sigh.

"Of course," Jack answers. "I'm surprised you had that little faith in us."

"I'm sorry, guys." I hang my head down so my hair covers my face. "I just wanted to get some gauze so I could patch yous up. Then, I just  _had_  to get myself kidnapped." My shoulders start shaking. "I'm so sorry. You already had to fight another gang today, but because of me, you had to fight another one even though you're all hurt and tired." Tears start burning my eyes.

"Hey." Crow puts his hand on top of my head. I move my head slightly so I can look at him, but he keeps his hand in place. "You stop that. What matters is that you're safe and we won in the end. Okay? Come on, let's go home." Crow lowers his hand and I turn to look at the guys.

"Don't worry about it, Yuuka." Kiryu throws his arm around my shoulders. "We took care of another  _two_  gangs today. That means we're one step closer to conquering the entire Satellite. So just think of it like that."

"But, if you pull that shit again, we're leaving you there-"

"Jack, come on." Yusei butts in. "Leave her alone."

"Fine." Jack says bluntly, even though I'm not fully convinced that he wouldn't go through with that threat.

"C'mon guys, let's get back to the base before anything else happens."

* * *

"You want to come with me?" Yusei asks as he's getting ready to leave for a patrol of our borders.

"Yeah," I answer. "I've never gone on patrol before."

"That's because you're not part of the team, Yuuka."

"Shut up, Kiryu!" I shout back at him.

"I don't see why not." Yusei looks in the direction of Kiryu, who just kinda shrugs.

"Just make sure she doesn't get kidnapped."

"Jack, that was two days ago." I sigh. "Can we just forget that ever happened?"

"No," Crow interjects. "I nearly fell off the fire escape, so I'm not forgetting it anytime soon."

"Sure, you can take her." Kiryu answers. "It's been quiet enough since the other day."

"Thank you Kiryu!" I bow slightly. I smile at Yusei who seems a bit off.

"C'mon, let's go." Yusei says. I grab my duel disk from beside the couch, and I already have my deck on my belt.

"Are you doing okay?" I ask Yusei once we're out of the building. "You've seemed off since the other day."

"Yeah, it's that whole ordeal with the Fear Unit has me on edge." Yusei shrugs. "But I think everyone's the same."

"Me too," I answer. "It was scary."

"I can imagine." Yusei shakes his head. "At least they didn't try to hurt you. I don't know what we would have done if that happened."

"You worry too much," I sigh.

"I can't help it. You're sickly and frail. I-We get very worried about you when we're not around. The other day confirmed that. I'm just worried that I'm gonna lose you."

"Yusei, you're not gonna lose me." I stop and put my hand on his arm. He stops and stares at my face.

"I hope not."

"You won't." His eyes silently scan my face.

"Okay," is all he says. He starts walking again, I move quickly to match his pace.

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Okay, for today's patrol, we're just gonna walk along our new border. Since we took over both Team Black and Blue's  _and_  the Fear Unit's territory, we have to watch out for more groups trying to come for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since we have a lot more territory, it's harder to keep an eye on every part of it." He continues. "So, we're checking for any signs of other groups trying to creep on our territory. Since we're now a bigger target than before, if another gang beats us, they get more territory from it."

"I suppose that makes sense." I nod my head. "You don't want all of your hard work to go to waste."

"Yeah," he answers.

We fade back into silence. I keep thinking about what Yusei said. He just wants me to be safe. I don't think he trusts me or himself to keep it that way. He seems a bit off, but he said it's the worry. So, I guess I'll have to trust him. He's scared that he's going to lose me. I can't help but feel a little anxious. He thinks something is going to happen to me. That feels me with dread. I can't imagine anything that bad happening to me, that I'd be separated from Yusei and everyone else.

I look back to Yusei. His eyes seem completely glazed over as he walks. He's completely up in his own head, I can tell. I normally distract him when he gets like this. But trying to be cheerful when we're talking about stuff like this is hard.

As if the world hears my thoughts about trying to be cheerful, it starts raining. I stop in my tracks and look up at the gloomy sky. Yusei pulls my arm in an attempt to get us under some shelter. But I don't move.

"Yuuka!" He shouts.

The rain only becomes heavier. I look around us. It's a small alleyway, there's no one around. I see Yusei look into an empty building and then back at me. He starts to look panicked, so I do the only thing that comes into my head. Dance.

I start spinning and moving my arms. I'm not a great dancer and I'll tell you that upfront, but it feels right in this moment.

"Yuuka!" Yusei shouts again, looking more confused than anything.

I grab his arms and make him spin with me. I move his arms so he twirls me. I turn back to him and his face is soft. I take the cue to keep dancing. He softens up some more, and spins me again. I start laughing, feeling my wet hair cling to my face. Yusei starts smiling. I've always loved dancing in the rain. I don't get to do it much, since people start yelling at me because I'll obviously get sick. So, anytime I'm able to do it, I take my chance.

We stop dancing once I start feeling water in my shoes. Yusei lets go of my hands. His eyes are intently staring at my face and he's smiling.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, yeah." He says, breaking out of his little trance. "That was fun."

"Yeah, I thought so too." I chuckle. "C'mon, let's wait out the rain in that building." I take Yusei's hand and lead him into the empty building. We sit, our shoulders grazing each others, against the wall. "I wish we had a blanket." I say, getting a chill down my spine. Yusei, saying nothing, puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close.

"Let's just hope you don't get sick again." He sighs, his face tinged a bit red. I hope he isn't the one getting sick.

"Yeah, we don't need you cooking again." I mutter under my breath. I shiver, remembering the time that Yusei gave me food poisoning.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"How long do you think the rain's gonna last?" Yusei asks, changing the topic.

"Not long, I reckon." I try pulling my jacket closed in an attempt for warmth. As close as I am to Yusei, he's not exactly the warmest right now. "I think it's just a shower."

"Yeah," he nods. "That was fun."

"The dancing?"

"Yeah, I didn't think I could have that much fun dancing in the rain."

"I've told you it was fun, you just didn't listen to me."

"Yuuka, you always get sick afterwards." Yusei shakes his head. "So, it was never something that I actually wanted to try."

"I suppose that's fair." I sigh.

"I'm still glad I did it though." He looks at me and smiles.

"That's good." I take in all of the details of Yusei's face now that he's so close to me. There's something different in his eyes, but I can't quite place it. His smile seems bigger and warmer somehow. I notice his eyes widen slightly, before he breaks the eye contact. Strange.

"So, Kiryu had an idea the other day while you went to the market."

"Yeah?" It must have been while Jack escorted me. I'm not allowed outside alone now, unfortunately. Since Yusei escorted the only other time since the incident.

"Since you're so keen on joining Team Satisfaction, Kiryu thinks he should at least give you a chance-"

"Oh really? I'm so excited and-"

"There's a catch." I groan, of course there's a catch. "Kiryu says you can join Team Satisfaction if you can beat him in a duel."

"But I've never beaten Kiryu before." My eyebrows furrow.

"Yeah, that's exactly why he said that."

"That's hardly fair." I scoff.

"He's thinks that's the best way to go about that." Yusei shrugs his shoulders.

"Ugh,  _fine_."

"Here, give me your cards." Yusei puts out his hand that's not on my shoulder. "We can come up with some strategies while we wait on the rain to stop."

"Okay," I answer. I lean forward to try get my deck out of its holder. Yusei takes back his arm, putting it out for my deck which I give to him.

"Right, I think you need to start coming up with combos within your deck. Fabled decks run off effects that activate when you discard cards. Like, if you discard The Fabled Cerburrel to bring back Fabled Kushano from the graveyard," he holds up both cards for me, "you could then summon Kushano and Special Summon Cerburrel on the same turn and Synchro Summon Fabled Ragin."

He keeps explaining different strategies to me, but I find it hard to pay attention. I keep focusing on that warm look in his eyes. It's almost like something has changed, and he's looking at me differently. But, it doesn't scare me. If anything, it feels like something good.

* * *

"Better luck next time, Yuuka." Crow pats me on the back as I gather up my cards. Another loss against Kiryu, putting my record at ten to nil. I challenge Kiryu to a duel every few weeks. He says if I beat him, I can join Team Satisfaction. I already have the jacket, so why not? This week, we decided to duel on the little table in our headquarters instead of using our duel disks outside.

"At this point, I feel like I'm never going to win." I sigh as my shoulders slump.

"Maybe, if you chain The Fabled Nozoochee and-" Yusei gestures to the cards currently in my losing hand. He puts his hand on the edge of the table for balance, but quickly retreats it as the table rocks.

"You need to get stronger." Jack ruffles my hair, pressing down a little too hard. "Forget about card combos, you just need to fight with conviction. If you're double guessing your strategy, your opponent will take advantage of that and you will lose."

"I mean, she  _is_ up against the fearless leader of Team Satisfaction." Kiryu shuffles his cards back together and puts them into his deck holder. "Did she really stand a chance in the first place?"

"Everyone else has an even record against you." I sigh again. "I'm just not the best at dueling."

"I'd say that you just have bad luck when it comes to drawing the cards you need, not that you're a bad duelist." Yusei puts his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me.

"Don't let this get you down, Yuuka." Crow smacks me on the back. "You can always try harder next time."

"Right, team, tomorrow is our fight against the Magician's Four tomorrow!" Kiryu gets our attention. "Yuuka, since you didn't win our duel, you're staying behind again."

"And putting bandages on you all when you get back, I know the drill." I say, putting my deck back into its holder. "Just try not to get too roughed up this time please. We don't need another Fear Unit incident."

"Maybe  _don't_  get kidnapped this time then." Jack snides back. "That would be a step in the right direction."

"Shut up, Jack."

"Okay, just make sure that yous get plenty of rest tonight." Kiryu stands up from the table. "I need you at your best tomorrow. You already know our plan. I'm gonna go make a last patrol for the night."

"Wanna stargaze again tonight?" I ask Yusei before he turns away. "The sky's actually been somewhat clear today, so we might see one."

"Sure, I'm up for it." I swear that I hear Crow snicker, but it goes away as soon as Yusei looks in Crow's direction.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Yusei says, as he comes onto the roof later. I say roof, but it's the highest floor of the building. The ceiling got ripped off along with the rest of the building a long time ago. I hear him fiddling with the gadget he's been working on, something to do with a light.

"Nope." I lie on my back and stare at the empty sky, save for a few clouds. It's completely dark outside, so Yusei merely looks like a black, human-shaped blob as he lies down beside me.

"Maybe if we're lucky, one will be behind that cloud." His arm moves up as he points.

" _Maybe._ " I answer like the smartass I am. We fall into silence like we normally do. Much of our time stargazing together is just comfortable silence. The other time is just chatting about the most random things.

"I wonder what it would be like in the City." I say out of the blue. "Imagine, just like, living there."

"I don't know," Yusei answers. "We'd probably just go to school. I wish I could learn Physics." I remember the days Yusei spent pouring over a Physics textbook we found in an abandoned schoolhouse. It was missing some pages at the start, but that didn't bother him.

"I could see you becoming a scientist." I chuckle. "You're smart enough for that. But what would I do?"

"You can sew, maybe you could make clothes." He suggests.

"Seems reasonable." I shrug my shoulders, despite the fact that Yusei probably can't see me. "But, if I ever become a Security, you're allowed to take me out, there and then."

"Why would  _you_ , of all people, become a Security?" I can practically hear Yusei raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know, but I'm just saying." I start laughing, and Yusei does too.

"But at least we'd be together." Yusei says. I hear something click and the gadget in Yusei's hand starts glowing red.

"Yeah…"

I stare at Yusei's face in the dim red light. I realise how pretty he is. The red light somehow accentuates how blue his eyes are. Then, I realise how much I'm smiling. Because of him. I want him to keep making me smile. I think about how I want to make him smile, just like he is now. His smile is so pretty in this moment. His face is soft and warm, just from looking at me. I want to keep that look on his face. I want to be the only one who can see this face. I want to protect it.

Martha's told me many stories in the time that I've known her. I remember the story she told me about meeting her husband, the feelings she had, and when she realised them.

I think I just realised my own.

"Fuck, shit." I start cursing out of some primal self-preservation instinct. "Ah, shit."

Yusei's eyes narrow.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine." I answer. "Just got a cramp in my leg."

"You good, though?" He doesn't sound too certain. He glances down at my legs which haven't moved at all.

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

The light of the gadget turns off before we fall back into that silence. Only this time, it's awkward. I lie there, looking at a smog-filled sky, searching for the stars that I know won't appear. I hope I find one tonight, just so I could wish that I wasn't falling for one of my best friends.

* * *

I feign feeling sick in the morning so I don't have to look at Yusei. I'm worried if I look at him for too long, all of those feelings will come bursting out. I'm convinced that if he finds out, the entirety of Team Satisfaction will disown me for something so shameful. I'll be forced to roam the streets and I'll die of starvation within the month.

At least that's the conclusion my brain came to after Yusei went to bed last night, leaving me on the roof alone.

The guys told me to rest so I'd feel better, before leaving to fight the Magician's Four. I couldn't do that obviously. I've been fidgeting ever since my realisation. How could I not? This literally changes everything. Like, if these feelings don't go away, I'll have to come clean eventually. I don't think I'm smart enough to keep it hidden. I'm just praying that it's only temporary. I'm going through puberty. Hormones are normal, it's just the hormones. I don't like Yusei more than anyone else. That's a lie. I've always liked Yusei a bit more than everyone else. He's kind and he's supportive, he understands me better than anyone else does. He listens to me, encourages me and helps me. That's why I like him.

I'm just confusing myself more.

Every thought I have just makes me more certain of my feelings.

I sigh as I pack a small bag. I throw my duel disk in there, I may need it, especially after the incident. I'm going to go visit Martha, I need something to clear my head. I jog down the stairs and out of the building. I think about leaving the guys a note, but I should be back before them. They're fighting the Magician's Four, apparently they're a tough gang despite having only four members. So, I should be fine.

The main streets are empty, which makes me feel nervous. Being here is better than in the alleyways. I can run any direction to escape people. I can't be cornered just by someone in front and behind me. But still, the silence is unsettling.

I spot a Security walking down the street. I should have figured. I cross to the other side of the street to avoid him. I've been in the Satellite long enough to avoid Security when I see them. But I don't dare stray from the main streets again. Martha's place isn't far from where I am. Only ten minutes or so.

"Oi, Satellite trash!" The Security calls out to me as he approaches me. I freeze in my spot. I can't run from a Security, that will get me thrown in the Facility. Suspicious behaviour, that's what the excuse would be. "Come here!" My feet move of their own accord. I move slowly towards him in the empty street. I feel my entire body begin to shake.

"Yes?" I ask, gulping hard.

"Have you seen this thug?" He holds up a wanted poster of the guy who slapped me and kidnapped me during the Fear Unit incident. "He's wanted by Security for theft. He stole cards from our headquarters."

I don't know what to say. My mind goes blank. Where even is the Fear Unit base? Would that guy still even be there? What do I even say?

"Answer me, Satellite." The Security snaps at me. "Or I'll arrest you too."

"I don't know him," I answer shakily. "I haven't seen him either."

"Are you sure, Satellite?" His voice raises. My eyes start burning from the tears. I feel unsafe. I want to run, but I know that will only make things worse.

"I'm sure."

"Listen,  _Satellite-_ "

"Can you please stop calling me a Satellite? I'm a human being."

"You?" The Security's face starts turning red, and he begins to shout. "You're just a Satellite. You're less than a human being. You don't deserve to be treated like one, that's why you're stuck here in this hell."

"You're wrong!" I shout back at him. The tears are threatening to fall, but I don't care. "I'm a human being just like you, so treat me like one, you  _pig_!"

The Security's eyes become hard and cold.

Next thing I know is that I'm on the ground, being put in handcuffs. I hear the duel disk in my bag snap.

"You're going to regret saying that, you trash!" The Security keeps shouting at me. "How dare you! A mark ruining that pretty face of yours will teach you a lesson. I'll throw you so deep in the Facility that you'll never get back out again."

I've heard people say that as you're getting arrested, you think of the one thing that you're leaving behind. That one thing you need to take care of.

Honestly, all I can think about in this moment is Yusei coming home to find that I'm not there anymore.


	2. Playing God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Yuuka Sasaki  
> Summary: Not just marked, but now a psychic. Yuuka thought life couldn't get worse. Surely joining a duel gang would make her feel less alone in the City, right?

_Yuuka_

* * *

Everything started going wrong the second that the bone in his arm snapped. It was terrifying really. It was like a dam suddenly burst, like this  _thing_  inside me suddenly came to life. Almost like my insides burst into flames, catching everything around me in their blaze.

Everything was suddenly out of control. My body was slowed and everything else was going at a blistering speed.

I declared my attack with Fabled Soulkius. His field was empty, except for a set card that he didn't flip. It was basically a guaranteed win. I don't know what happened. Maybe I saw Kasumi's reflection on the glass of the kitchen window. Maybe I just felt shitty about my entire existence in that moment, it's not uncommon. But something snapped. Kaoru put his arms up to shield himself from the attack. I knew something was wrong the second the attack connected. I heard the dull crunch of a bone. I've heard my own arm make that sound, I know what that means. I couldn't stop it. The world moved around me at that blistering pace. Kaoru gets knocked off his feet. He cradles his arm and screams. My feet stuck to the ground beneath me. Kasumi runs out the back door of the house, she's screaming too. There was blood, dark crimson dripping onto the grass. That didn't scare me, not really. It was his eyes. They looked up at me in fear, wide and unblinking. He didn't need to say a word. His eyes said it all.  _Monster_.

I ran up to my room, picked up my nightstand and put it in front of the door. I threw clothes and underwear into my backpack, flinging my school stuff onto floor in the process. Then, I ran out of the front door and never looked back.

So, that's an experience I'd rate in the top three worst moments of my life. Along with such classics as discovering my mother's corpse and being arrested for telling a Security to respect my basic human rights, basically dragging me from everything I knew and loved. I'm not sure where this will fit in, but it's up there alright.

I'm probably the last person that my dad expects to be at his door. The second he looks at me, he knows something wrong. He makes me peel off my Duel Academy uniform jacket. It started raining as I ran, gods know how long ago that was. It's practically dark outside. Nancy, his new fiancee, comes out of the kitchen, carrying two full wine glasses. She freezes when she sees me.

Coming here was a bad idea.

But it's not like I had another option.

I lie on the bed of the spare room. I hear whispers in the hall.  _I suppose we'll let her stay_. I suppose. I lied about why I'm here.

I said that I didn't want to live with Kasumi anymore. I kept fighting with her, that I couldn't deal with her anymore so I left. My dad seemed to understand. I suppose that would explain Nancy.

"Yuuka," I hear my dad knocking on the door. "Can I come in?" I make some sort of noise, so he opens the door to find me lying facedown on the bed. "Let me sit down." I scoot over closer to the wall as I hear the door close. I feel the bed sink as he sits down.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"I talked to your mo-Kasumi." My dad knows that I refuse to call Kasumi my mother, and he respects that somehow. I always imagined that he would hate that, but I'm still surprised even now. But I still feel uneasy. What did Kasumi say to him? I just hope she didn't tell him that I am a psychic. I don't want to get disowned. "She said that she respects your decision, and that you're welcome to come  _home_  anytime. Are you sure you want to stay here, honey?"

"I'm sure," I answer very bluntly.

"Well, Kasumi told me about the trouble you're having at school." I sigh into the pillow. "Your record is sketchy at best. You've gotten a lot of detentions."

"That's because the teachers hate me since I have a mark." My dad is silent. It's true. I get sent to detention for doing the slightest thing wrong, even if someone else does it and doesn't get punished for it. It's just straight-up prejudice. Everytime I try to call the teachers out, I only get in more trouble.

"If you don't want to go back, I won't force you." He sighs too. "If you catch my drift."

"I don't want to go back." I start sniffling, but no tears fall.

I can't go back. I'm a psychic. I think of poor Aki Izayoi. I see how she gets treated. She's an outcast just like me. Everyone hates her because she leaves a path of destruction wherever she goes. I will do the same. Just as I thought that nothing could get worse for me, this happens. A marked Satellite  _and_ a psychic. A deadly combination. Every City citizen's worst fear.

"Okay, honey." My dad reaches up to pat my head. "Just tell me if you want something to eat." He stands up, I feel the bed spring back up without his weight.

"Okay, dad, I will." There's silence. He still hasn't left the room. I turn onto my back and sit up. He's just looking at me. I can't read his face at all. His brows are furrowed completely. I can see what Nancy meant when she said that both Kaoru and I look like our dad. The resemblance to Kaoru is a bit too much for me right now.

"I'm sorry," is all he says. His eyes go down to the floor, avoiding mine completely. I don't even know what he's trying to apologise for.

"Thank you for doing this for me." I change the topic, not knowing how to respond. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo." He makes an attempt at a smile, before he closes the door.

* * *

The next few weeks are rough. I spend as much time outside of the house as I can. As much as I appreciate my dad's kindness, I can't bear to spend time around him. My brain keeps imagining what will happen if my dad finds out that I'm a psychic. I'd be homeless, probably. I've been doing some research into psychics at the library, where I spend most of my time. It's common for them to be kicked out of their homes when they come out, even losing their jobs. It's my greatest fear. I have no one to turn to. Everyone would know about me being a psychic then, and I would be alone.

I've learned that psychics like to hang out in the Daimon Area. Not only that, but it's also the place where the marked people in the City live. Which is why I've come here. Surely the people here understand what I'm going through. Maybe there are even other marked psychics, just like me.

Yesterday, someone roped me into dueling them. It was my first time dueling since the incident. I thought, maybe, it was a one time thing. But no, my first attack caused a huge gash to appear on his arm. At least, it didn't break this time. I thought as I ran into a public bathroom, crying.

I'm back again today. I'm wearing a hoodie, so I can at least hide my face a little. It's pretty gloomy outside, so I don't look out of place with my hood up. I see the guy that I dueled yesterday. Very tall, with golden curls. His accent was very weird, I couldn't place it. I think he said that his name is Felix, which doesn't help much. I sit against the wall, and hope that no one recognises me from yesterday. I want to talk to people, and actually make friends. Especially now that I have none. Kaoru is probably scared of me, I imagine that he never wants to see me again. Emiko probably feels that way too. We had gotten pretty close since I moved to the City. But before she was my friend, she was Kaoru's. She's probably taken his side. I can't imagine that she wants to see me either.

I wonder what Yusei would think, what they would all think. Bad enough that I disappeared without a trace. Now, I'm a psychic. I want to think that they'd accept me no matter what, but that thought still lingers in my head.

"Mind if I sit?" My head turns suddenly as I realise that the voice was directed towards me. I look to see a taller girl looking down at me. Her bright red eyes are focused solely on me, which makes my heart beat faster. I nod slowly. "Aw, thank you." She sits down beside me, against the wall. I find it hard to look directly at her, she's awfully pretty. She runs her fingers through her long, light purple hair that's in a high, tight ponytail. I wonder what it would be like to have hair that long. My hair's never gone past my collarbone, just for convenience sake in the Satellite. But now that I'm in the City and can actually take showers everyday, it would be possible to have hair that long. "I saw you dueling yesterday."

"My duel?" I ask, my hands start shaking. I fold my arms in attempt to stop them. So much for my attempt to blend in. "I-I-"

"Don't worry, I'm a psychic too." She smiles at me. "I'm not here to do anything bad."

"Oh okay," I sigh in relief. "I've never met another psychic before."

"Really?" She seems rather surprised. "You must have recently discovered that you're a psychic then."

"Yeah," I answer.

"And you're marked too? You poor thing. You must have nobody then." Her eyes are wide. They go to my wrists. I pull my sleeves down.

"I guess so." I shrug my shoulders. I don't know how long I'll have my dad's support for. It feels like there's a countdown until I'm out on my own.

"I'm gonna tell you a secret." The girl leans into me. I turn my head so I meet her eyes. "Have you heard of duel gangs?"

"Back in the Satellite, yes. I didn't know there were any here." I answer honestly. Her eyes squint a little before she continues.

"Well, I'm part of one." She flicks her ponytail back over her shoulder. "It's called Black Flag. It's full of people just like you and me, psychics. You don't have to be alone anymore. We'll be your new family if your family doesn't accept you. Black Flag is already one huge family, and I want you to be a part of us."

"That sounds great," I say. I think of Team Satisfaction back in the Satellite, if they're still even there. We were one big family too, and I wouldn't have traded them for anything in the world. I want to be part of them now. Would they make me part of the team if they knew I was a psychic? It would surely be a lot of help if I joined them. "Why me?" I ask.

"Well," her eyes shift slightly. "I saw your duel up until you surrendered and ran off. You have a lot of potential as a psychic. If you got the right training, who knows what you'd be capable of." Her hand moves over her mouth. Her eyes scan over me, she's reading me like a book.

I nod slowly. This random girl saying I have any sort of potential makes me feel a lot better than I have recently. I can only take so much of people telling me that I'm a worthless piece of Satellite trash. That alone makes me want to follow her to the ends of the earth. Having someone who actually believes in me is something that I haven't had in a long time.

"I could take you to meet our leader, if you'd like." The girl raises her eyebrows. "You don't have to but I think it would be-"

"I'll go," I answer. Her face falls slightly like she wasn't expecting me to agree so quickly.

"Oh, that's good." She nods quickly and stands up. She offers her hand to me, and I take it. "That's great, actually." I smile, for what feels like the first time in weeks. "Hold on," she starts laughing, "I don't even know your name!"

"It's Yuuka," I bit the inside of my cheek. Her smile is big and bright, focused only on me. I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

"Is there a last name that goes with that, Yuuka?"

I immediately go to say Hattori, the name I've gone by my entire life. The name on the birth certificate that Kasumi showed to get me into Duel Academy.

But then, I think of Kasumi Hattori. My birth mother who seemed to regret my entire existence the moment when I first stepped into her house. Going by Hattori now just feels wrong. Knowing where  _that's_  where Hattori came from, instead of my adoptive mother who just happens to be her sister. I can't use my own name, because all I can think about is how that woman hated me and just wanted to change me into a perfect daughter without a marker. So, I go for my only option.

"Sasaki." I say, taking my father's name. "Yuuka Sasaki."

"Anako Senmatsu, it's nice to meet you." She replies. Anako tilts her head and smiles. "Come on, let me bring you to our base." She leads me out of the Daimon Area and into the surrounding sidestreets.

"So Yuuka, tell me about yourself." She tries to make some light conversation.

"I'm from the Satellite, if you haven't noticed." I answer. I notice that, as I'm walking through the neighbourhood around the Daimon Area, less people are staring at me. This is where I belong instead of the stuffy, rich suburbs. "Yeah, I got arrested for insisting that I'm a human being. I got sent to the City once they found out that I had living family here."

"Yikes," Anako's eyebrows raise. "So, I'm guessing that your new family didn't take too kindly to your mark and your new powers?"

"Yep," I sigh, "so now I'm just doing my own thing."

"That's fair," Anako nods slowly. I smell the Sound before I see it. She leads me down to the waterfront before continuing down along it. Somewhere across there is Yusei and others, if they're even still alive. They seem so close, but they might as well be on the other side of the world. This dock isn't anything like the harbour closer to the suburbs. The other side is nice and clean, lined with restaurants and cafes. This dock looks dirty and grey in comparison. Shady looking boats are tied to it. "Black Flag controls from the docklands to the Daimon Area." She begins to explain. "Our whole territory is from the Daimon Area to the Downtown District. That's actually a problem area for us. Onyx Slicers are trying to sneak into the area over the last few weeks."

"So, that must be a big territory right?" I speak slowly, remembering what Yusei said about Team Satisfaction. "I'm new to this City, so I'm not exactly sure. But, if Black Flag is a target, that means your territory must cover a lot of ground."

"You're right." Anako's pace slows. Her eyes are fixed on me. "You're familiar with gangs then?"

"Oh yeah, I was part of one before." I answer, not exactly telling the truth. It's making me look cool in front of the pretty girl, so I'm going with it. "Back in the Satellite, I was part of the biggest duel gang. It was pretty cool."

"Why did you leave?"

"Got arrested, they don't know where I am."

"Oh yeah, of course." She shakes her head. Was she suspecting some foul play there or something? "We're getting closer to the base. Admittedly, I'm taking you the long way. But I'm guessing that you don't know this side of town well, so I'm showing you the easiest way to remember. Go from the Daimon Area, down to the docks, turn left, keep going until you see Tenjoin Road." She points to a street sign coming up. "Turn onto it." We've left the dock and into what looks like an abandoned industrial estate, with old warehouse-looking buildings in a cluster. "Count three buildings. Turn right." She points to the building covered in symbols made from what looks like black spray paint. "There is the Black Flag base." It looks a bit better than everything else around it. For a second, it almost feels like I'm in the Satellite. I swear I've seen an area just like this before, a cluster of rather small two-storey warehouses. "Come on, let's go."

Anako walks towards the door of the warehouse. She pushes the door open with a lot of force. It creaks as it opens. Eyes dart towards me, some of them drift away just as quickly which makes me feel a little better. The stares of the rather intimidating people in the ground floor room of the warehouse. There's three clusters of people standing around that's practically bare except for a few tables and chairs. I spot a rickety staircase against the wall on my right.

"Hey Anako!" I hear someone call out. A guy leaning on one of the tables waves at us.

"Come on." Anako grabs my arm and drags me with her towards him. "Let's make you some friends."

"New recruit?" I get a closer look at the guy. Tanned skin, brown hair slicked back with an undercut. "The name's Shinji." He puts out his hand for me to shake. I meet his eyes, they're a striking shade of purple. They remind me of Jack's eyes so vividly.

"Uh, Yuuka." I shake his head.

"Nice to meet you." He smiles really big. It calms my nerves. At least he seems friendly. "This is Reika." He points to the girl beside him. I freeze in my spot. I wouldn't have noticed her at all if Shinji didn't point her out.

"Hey," she says in a dull monotone. I just nod back to her. Her light blue eyes look practically dead, like she'd rather be anywhere else but here. She brushes her steel blue bangs out of her face, it looks like they're annoying her.

"Raiden's in his office before you ask." Shinji turns to look at Anako.

"Raiden?" I echo.

"Our leader here," Shinji says. "He's also my cousin, even though we look nothing alike."

"Ah cool." I respond with that, as I can't think of anything else to say.

"Right, I'll go introduce her to Raiden." Anako claps her hands together as she turns to me. "You ready?" I nod in response.

"See you later, Yuuka." Shinji puts up his hand in a half-hearted wave.

"Yeah, I will." I say before following Anako up the rickety stairs. We arrive up onto an empty landing. There's only one door, which I imagine is a single room that takes up the rest of the floor.

"This is Raiden's office," Anako explains. "Don't go in without knocking, he hates it when people do that." She knocks on the door. I hear a muffled response, and she opens the door.

We walk into a barebones office. There's a filing cabinet and a bookshelf pressed up against the bare concrete wall. There's a desk in the middle of the floor. Then, I notice the man sitting at the desk. He perks up in his chair when he notices me peeking out behind Anako's back.

"A new recruit?" He asks. I pick out the similarities between this guy and Shinji. The brown hair, the purple eyes. But that's about where the similarities end. He's much leaner than Shinji and more angular, not to mention a  _lot_ paler.

"She's the one I told you about." Anako moves and lets me into the room. She gestures to a spot, a short distance in front of the desk. I step forward, and his eyes meet mine. My entire body tingles, like there's a fire underneath my skin. His eyes are completely different from Shinji's. They're a much lighter shade of violet. I don't think I could forget those eyes. There's something about them that's just so alluring. I get a shiver down my spine. His eyes widen as he watches me shiver. I have no idea what he could be thinking, but if I think too hard about it, I'll just feel worse.

"Ah yes," he say after a long pause. "So, you're interested in joining Black Flag, umm…"

"Yuuka," I burst out. "Yuuka Sasaki."

"Raiden Kimura." He leans forward in his chair, extending a hand which I shake. "It's nice to meet you, Yuuka. I'm glad you've decided to join us. Our gang can never have enough psychics. This is a safe haven for psychics after all."

"You know that I'm a psychic?" I stutter out.

"Of course I know." He looks at me a little wide-eyed. "All psychics can tell each other apart. It's a natural instinct, after all. Are you saying that when you look at Anako and I, you don't feel anything different about us?"

I meet his eyes again, and I concentrate. He raises an eyebrow, so I close my eyes instead. I feel it. It feels like there's a fire radiating from him. I focus on Anako instead. Her energy is lighter, and it almost feels more  _fluid_.

"I think I get it," I mutter. Raiden glances over to Anako, she nods. There's a pause. Raiden keeps staring. Anako takes the cue and leaves, closing the door behind her.

"I'm assuming that you haven't had your powers for long, Yuuka?" Raiden asks, and I nod. "Then, you're going to need training. As you are now, you can't control your powers. Everytime you duel, you're at risk of hurting yourself and everything around you."

Kaoru's face flashes into my head. His wide eyes as he stared at me, then down to his bloodied arm. Raiden sees my eyes, and stands up. He walks around his desk, until he's just in front of me. He leans on the desk, and lowers his head to look at me. I relax slightly. I don't know why, but having Raiden pay  _this_  much attention to me is making me feel better.

"I want to help you, Yuuka." He holds my gaze without blinking. "You're going to have to let me help you. I know your new powers seem scary, but you have to trust me. If you don't learn to control them, you'll end up hurting everything around you. I don't want that to happen to you."

"What can you do to help me?" My voice starts to shake. There's something to his gaze, like he's seen it before. He grips his arm that's hidden underneath a plain black button-up shirt.

"I can teach you." He heaves a heavy sigh. "You would be able to only use your powers when you want to. You could at least pretend to be normal."

"Normal?" I echo.

"Pretending." He answers. "I hate to break to you, with your mark and your powers, pretending is all you'll ever get in this City."

"I know…" I sigh.

"Listen," he straightens up. "You want to be normal. That's why we're here. Black Flag is going to change this City. We're going to make a City where we can all live happily. It won't matter if you're a psychic or marked. That's the City that I want for all of us."

"That… sounds great." I bit my lip. I remember Kiryu and his optimism. If our existence in the Satellite was shitty, we would just make a better one. That's what I'm going to do here. I will continue Kiryu's legacy, even if I never get to tell him about this.

"Really?" Raiden's entire body perks up. "Then, you really want to join us?"

"I do." I snap back immediately. "I was in a gang before, back in the Satellite, if that helps. I want to join you, please."

"You were in a gang before?" His eyes are wide. He shifts slightly and leans forward.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Honestly, it's a little hard to believe." He chuckles. He smiles and I feel my heart flutter. "You're not the toughest looking person around, so you've got to give me some leeway here."

"I suppose you're right." I laugh along with him, a hand going to the back of my neck. "So, have you got an initiation around here? My gang back in the Satellite didn't have one, so I don't know what to expect."

"So, you're not intending to go back to the Satellite?" Raiden raises an eyebrow. "Don't blame you. Sounds pretty rough from what I've heard."

"Are you saying that… there's a way to go back?" I furrow my eyebrows. I had never considered the possibility. As shitty as life was there, at least I had Yusei and everyone else. Maybe I could go back. If they'd accept me now that is.

"Uh, no." His disposition suddenly changes. "At least, not that I've heard of." Something tells me that he's lying. Maybe if I stay, I can get him to tell me. "But about that initiation, it's actually quite simple. You just have to jump into the Sound. It's where we claimed our first territory, so it's more of a tradition." He sees the unease on my face. "Don't worry if you can't swim, everyone will be there. Shinji's had to pull a few people out of the water before."

"Oh, that makes me feel better." I chuckle nervously. "We don't swim much in the Satellite."

"Yeah, I can imagine." He tilts his head back at me. "The Sound must be vile on your side. It's bad enough down this end of the port."

"Nasty." I make a face and he laughs.

"Yuuka, I don't mean to pry but, do you have a place to stay?" Raiden's face suddenly gets sombre. "I know some people in this gang don't have a home to go back to. No one in this gang is alone. We can find somewhere for you to crash until you get your own place."

"I have somewhere." I answer. "At least for now."

"Oh, that's good." Raiden nods. He walks around the desk and opens a drawer. He tears a scrap of paper and writes on it. He holds it out to me. "Here's my number. If you're in a bad place, just call me and I'll sort it out for you."

"Thank you." I run my fingertips over the edges of the torn piece of paper. "I mean it."

"Tomorrow, make sure you bring a spare change of clothes." He smirks at me. "You're gonna get wet."

"Well, jumping into the Sound will do that for you." He shakes his head with a smile.

"Goodbye, Yuuka." He nods towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow for your initiation."

"Oh yeah." I blink rapidly before turning towards the door. "See you later."

* * *

As expected, Shinji pulls me out of the water when I jump in. I cough up water for a while afterwards. Raiden just laughs at me. He gives me his jacket, which gets me weird looks from lots of people. I later learned that Raiden is dating Anako,  _apparently_. No one is certain. So that's awkward.

"You're not special." Reika tells me later while we're on patrol together. "Just because they're being nice to you."

I ask Shinji about this, who just laughs. He doesn't tell me what that means, but he definitely knows. I'm just assuming that she was referring to the jacket fiasco. Everyone tells me that Raiden's just like that, he has a reputation apparently. It would certainly explain why no one knows if Raiden and Anako are actually dating or not.

Raiden tells me that I have to keep patrolling for a while. I said it was my expertise. I'm lucky that Team Satisfaction aren't here to call me out on my bullshit. I need to patrol for a while in order to move onto bigger things like fighting other gangs, and  _making deliveries_ , whatever that means.

"How are your powers doing today?" Raiden asks, once I come into his office. He stands up and leans on the front of his desk, as usual. "Have you tried those exercises?"

"I tried them." I answer. "I don't know how I feel."

"That's fair." He shrugs his shoulders. "It takes a while for it to work. You're effectively numbing your powers. The real test is to duel someone and not use your powers. You should be able to only use your powers when you want to."

"Why would I want to?"

"Are you serious?" He blinks in surprise. "Psychic powers, when fighting other gangs, are indispensable. I know you said that there weren't many psychics back in the Satellite. But here, in the City, psychics are the only way to win. If you're not going to use your powers, you might as well get out now while you can."

"No, t-that's  _not_ what I meant." I spit out. "I'm just… not used to this City yet. It's surprisingly a lot harsher than the Satellite." Raiden sighs, placing both of his hands on the edge of the desk.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I think I'm expecting too much from you-"

"No," I respond immediately. "I'm still adjusting, but that doesn't mean you need to lower your expectations."

"That's good to hear." Raiden raises an eyebrow at me. It's then that I worry about how enthusiastic I must seem. "So, eh, I heard you got invited to a house party yesterday."

"Oh yeah, I don't remember much of it, to be honest." I chuckle. "I've only been told what happened."

"Yeah, Anako told me that you two made out." My eyes widen. I was planning on avoiding that, since they're supposedly dating. He doesn't  _seem_  angry, only amused. This only raises more questions, but leaves me with less answers.

"Apparently?" I chuckle in response. "All I know is that there's now a group chat for Shinji, Anako and I. They're bringing to this place called Psycho, it's-"

"A nightclub for psychics." Raiden finishes for me. "Give my name to the bouncer and you'll get into the VIP section. Don't give me that look, I know the owner. People make jokes that all psychics know each other, but it's not exactly wrong."

"Oh okay." I nod. "You should come with us." Raiden blinks at me in surprise. "I know there's this joke that you never show up to anything, but y'know, I thought since Anako is going that you'd-"

"Yuuka, it's your first time to Psycho." Raiden shakes his head and laughs. "That alone makes it worth going." I get this tingling sensation. He always seems to do this to me. He never fails to make me feel special. Maybe I'm just drawn to that in him.

"Alright, if you say so." I laugh along with him.

* * *

That night in Psycho, I felt like something was going on between Raiden and Anako, and it was somehow my fault. Shinji told me not to pay attention to it, and keep dancing. Then, two days later, he asks me if I know where Anako is. I say that I haven't talked to her since Psycho, he doesn't respond.

"Yuuka!" Shinji runs up to me as I enter the base. "Have you seen Anako? She's gone missing."

"What?" My eyes are wide. "No, I haven't seen her since Psycho." His hands fly back up into his hair.

"She's okay, Shinji." Reika comes down the stairs, from where Raiden's office is. "She just texted me."

"Where is she?" He all but marches over to her.

"She's gone, she left the City." She sighs. I notice that her eyes are red. "I don't know where she is. She doesn't want us to go after her. It's best to just leave her alone."

"Why are you saying this?" Shinji all but shouts at her. "She's our friend. We can't let her run away after all this."

Is there something that I don't know about? I look between them for an answer. Reika doesn't respond.

"Fine," Shinji just says. "If you want to be like that,  _fine_. I'm going to go find her." He leaves. The door slams behind him, and it's just Reika and I in the room.

"I know that you don't like me, but I just want to say that I'm sorry. You don't deserve this. I've been the friend that disappeared, and I can imagine that it was hard on everyone else. If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here. If you'd even  _want_ to-"

"No, that's very kind of you, Yuuka." She nods at me. Reika's face is tinged red, and she looks rather overwhelmed. "There's just a lot going on right now, if you haven't noticed, so I might take you up on that offer."

"Aside from Anako?" I ask.

"Look," Reika points to the wall on the far side of the room.  _Justice,_  it says in black spray paint across the entire length of the wall. "Last night, two of our members were murdered down in Cardinal Dragons' territory. It was Yuudai and Kakeru, they were at that house party the other day. People are suspecting foul play, but Raiden won't declare war on them. It's probably because there's some deal between our gangs that Raiden's not telling us about. A few people left the gang altogether, and more are threatening to leave. Anako left the gang last night before this, so I'm not  _entirely_ sure what went down there."

"Has Raiden said anything?" I ask, a little tenderly. I don't want to make a bold statement until I've heard his side of the story.

"I just talked to him there." Reika gestures to above us. "He seems pretty down about everything, so I have no idea what he's thinking as usual."

"I'll go talk to him, I guess." I sigh. I seem to make him laugh a lot, so that should help now. At least I think so.

"I mean, if anyone can get something out of Raiden, it's you." Reika waves her hand non-chalentently.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I blink rapidly. I feel the judgement coming from Anako's best friend.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Her eyes narrow slightly. There's questions in her eyes. "He's up in his office. I guess, I'll see you later then, Yuuka?"

"Yeah, see ya." The door closes again, somewhat quieter. I stare at the writing on the walls. Justice, a very strong word. Something is being hidden from me, I can feel it. I can't help but feel like Anako left because of what lies underneath all of this. These deaths are just a symptom of this.

I walk up the stairs to Raiden's office door. I hesitate just before I knock. I sigh and go through with it.

"Come in." I hear him say, his words slightly muffled by the door. He flinches as he notices that it's me. His fingers are knotted in his hair, he looks like he hasn't slept despite it being dark outside again at this point. "Oh Yuuka, I wasn't expecting you."

"How are you doing?"

"Honestly?" He stands up out of his chair and walks over to the window on the opposite side of the room. "Everything's gone to shit." He sighs deeply. "At least you're still here."

"Me?" I mutter.

"Yeah," he turns back around to look at me. "Everyone's starting to turn against me, but you'll stay by my side, won't you?" His eyes are genuine, I can see that. I don't know his side of the story. I said that I wanted to know. But, his eyes are telling me to believe him.

"I will, don't worry."

"Thank you, Yuuka." He smiles, very slightly. "Hey, do you wanna go to Psycho tonight? I don't feel like you got a real introduction to Psycho last time." Raiden and Anako did disappear for a while, leaving Shinji and I on the dancefloor. I suppose that's what he's referring to. "I thought we could go together."

"Yeah, I mean I'm not nearly dressed for that." I gulp. While black jeans, a tshirt and a leather jacket aren't  _terrible_ , I'll just feel undressed and awkward. "Last time, I just borrowed some of Anako's clothes and y'know…"

"You'll be fine," he scoffs. "Everyone there is too drunk or out of their heads on drugs to notice."

"Drugs?" I echo.

"Yeah?" He raises an eyebrow at me. "You've never taken any? I suppose not every rumour about the Satellite is true."

"I haven't, and I never will." I shake my head. "I've seen what drugs do to people in the Satellite."

"Noted," Raiden nods. "Do you want to go then?" I would say no. But looking at his face, I see the pain in his eyes. He's alone. I can help him. From the looks of it, I'm the only one who can.

"Alright." He smiles, which makes me feel a little bit better about my decision.

* * *

"Another vodka soda for you." Raiden comes back with a drink for me. Someone bumps into my back, pushing right into the centre of Raiden's chest. He manages to keep both of the glasses from spilling. I try to step back, my face already starting to get red from my first drink.

Psycho is so much busier than it was the other day. Raiden says that because it's Friday, it's a lot busier. I would have assumed, but I just forgot what day it was. Somehow, the crowd moves around us and we end up in the centre of it. We keep getting pushed and closer together. I feel embarrassed, but Raiden just looks like he's enjoying this, which makes me feel more embarrassed.

"I have a question to ask you." I shout over the loud music. I gather up the courage after downing the drink within a matter of moments, which earns me an odd look from Raiden.

"Yeah?"

"What was the deal with you and Anako?" His face freezes. He pauses. The music keeps pounding in my head. I can't even recognise the song, because I'm paying that much attention to Raiden's face.

"I don't know," he eventually answers, but I can barely hear him over the music. "I never really knew, and now she's gone. It doesn't matter anymore, she left. I don't care."

I see the pain in his eyes. He says he doesn't care, but I can tell that he's lying. I want to make that pain go away. At this point, at this moment in time, I would do anything to make it stop. My hand goes to his arm. He stares at it, then his eyes move to my face, and then my lips.

He kisses me.

Everything else just seems to fade away. All I can feel is him, and the bruising pressure that he's applying to this kiss. I don't pull away, and neither does he. From what I remember, kissing Anako didn't feel like this. After that, I have no other experience. I feel a fire in my stomach and it's trying to escape. But that might just be the vodka. He pulls away eventually, and looks at me with wide eyes. The lights of Psycho really make the violet colour of his eyes pop.

He leads me to the VIP section, and gets me another drink, and then another one. There's other people in here, not that I'd recognise any of them. We start talk about things that aren't Black Flag, or that kiss. Anything to distract us from  _that_.

"Let's get out of here." Raiden rolls his eyes as two guys in the corner approach the point at which they're not really  _just making out_  anymore.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea."

Raiden takes me back to his place, since it's closer to Psycho. He said that I can just crash at his place. It's pretty late, from what I can tell. I can start to feel the effects of the alcohol.

"It's a pretty big apartment." I say as I walk in. "How can you afford this place?" I blurt out now that the alcohol has completely removed my filter.

"I have my ways," he chuckles. Raiden walks into the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water for me. "This is for you."

"I'm not  _that_  drunk, geez." He merely shakes his head.

"It's to stop you getting a hangover, I won't hold your hair back if you're puking tomorrow morning."

"Fine, I guess." I roll my eyes before taking a big gulp.

"Right, you can stay in my bed, and I'll crash on the couch, okay?" He gestures to the only closed door in the room.

"No, it's your house, I'll stay on the couch-"

"Yuuka, I insist." I stare at his face, he won't budge.

"Only for tonight."

"Okay, Yuuka." Raiden shakes his head and brings me into his bedroom, turning on the light. The room is impeccably clean like it's hardly ever used. There's a double bed with black sheets taking up most of the room, with small windows and tables on either side of the bed. The only other thing in the room is a dark-coloured wooden wardrobe. "The bedlinen's clean, don't worry."

"I grew up in the Satellite, do you think I care?" He goes to the wardrobe and opens. He pulls out a large black t-shirt and black gym shorts, for me to sleep in I assume. Is everything this guy owns black, or at least some shade of it?

"I suppose you have a point." He laughs. He takes the blanket draped on the end of the bed, and one of the pillows from the bed. "If you need me, you can just call me, okay?"

"I will, don't worry." I say. He closes the door behind him as he leaves. Then, I realise that I'm alone in a  _guy's bedroom_. That thought makes me feel very rattled. He's just a guy, that's not a big deal right? But then, I  _did_  kiss him. That makes things weird now, doesn't it? He hasn't brought it up, so I'm assuming everything's okay. He's going through a rough patch right now, maybe that's just his way of dealing with it.

I change into the clothes that Raiden gave me. I lie down in the bed, a little reluctantly, and turn the light off. The bed is clean, I can smell the detergent. I can't help but feel like this is wrong, but there's nothing I can do now.

* * *

"Do you want to go to Psycho again on Thursday?" Raiden asks me when I see him again. He invited me over to his apartment to watch a new movie that he wanted to see. "I know one of the drag queens performing and I thought-"

"Raiden, I don't think we should." He goes to interrupt me, but I keep going. "I know you mean well, but I can't help but feel like I'm a replacement for Anako. You said you weren't dating, but you two obviously had  _something_  going on. I think you're only talking to me like this because she's gone. Raiden, I don't want to be some rebound-"

"Yuuka, believe me, you're not a rebound." He sits up straighter on the couch, and turns his body to face me. "Anako is a traitor for leaving us. We don't have time to care for traitors. Just forget about her." The words don't feel right. Anako must have had a reason. I want to know what they are. I think I'll have to stay at Raiden's side to find that out.

"But still, I can't just…" I try to say something, but words fail me.

"You felt that kiss." Raiden's eyes are intense, like they could burn me up in a matter of seconds. He moves closer to me. My back is pressed firmly up against the arm of the couch. "There's something between us, Yuuka. I can feel it, and I know you can too."

There's a heavy pause. We're staring into each other's eyes, and everything else seems to fade away. But it scares me. This feels different than it should. I remember looking into Yusei's eyes and feeling the same thing. But then it felt good. I wanted us to be the only thing that mattered in that moment. There's a weight to Raiden's words that wasn't there before. There's been a sudden shift between us, like we can't go back.

I think about his words.  _Something between us_. I can't quite figure out what he means. Is he talking about romantic feelings? That's the most likely meaning. I've been told that I'm not special because he treats me this way. I have no evidence to prove that he  _doesn't_ kiss those girls. This might actually be special.

Do I have those feelings? I honestly don't know. I thought that I liked Yusei, and I still do. But this is different. They might not be romantic feelings, but there are definitely feelings involved.

I don't know what to say, but Raiden makes my mind up for me. He dives forward, kissing me again. There's still that bruising pressure from before. There's a need, an urgency, to the kiss. He creates an iron grip with one hand on my face, and another on the side of my neck. He pulls away suddenly. My eyes barely open to look at him. He goes in for another kiss, and another, and another. Somehow, I end up beneath him on the couch. Our bodies are pressed together so tightly that I don't think there's any space between us.

Like he's suddenly realised our position, Raiden pulls his head back enough that I can see his eyes open. His eyes are dark, they send a shiver down my spine. I think I know what he's going to say, and I don't know if I'm ready to hear it.

"Yuuka," his voice is raspy from all of the kisses. "Will we continue this?"

My body freezes. My mind screeches to a halt. I feel like my feet are teetering over the edge, above a dark abyss, and it's only a matter of time before I fall or I'm pushed. What do I even say? I'm not ready for this. I known Raiden, what, a few months? I can't possibly agree to this. I go to mutter a response, but he beats me to it.

"Please," is all he says.

For the first time, I spot true vulnerability in his eyes. I see someone who just like me. Scared and alone. Carrying this unspeakable guilt around like it's weight of the world on his shoulders.

He's scared, and I am too. What would I get from this? It would make him happy. It would bring us closer, whatever that would mean. The only way that I can find out what's going on in this shitshow of a gang is to throw myself in head first. It's sounds bad that I'm technically using him, but isn't he using me a little too? This will make him happy, and that's all I should care about.

I want to make him feel better, and if it means a little discomfort on my part, so be it.

"Okay I guess," is my response.

* * *

Somehow, Raiden and I get into this cycle. I go on patrol, I come back to the base, we talk for a while, we go back to his, and do  _that_. Sometimes, we don't even get back to his place, and he just picks me up and puts me on the table in his office. I'm not going to say I hate it, hate is a strong word. Disgust, now that's a word that I could get behind. I wasn't ready for it, and I knew that. It feels like it's too late to say it, and it's easier to just lie there and wait for it to be over. Not that it takes long anyway. I honestly imagined having sex would be a lot better than it is. Then again, Raiden doesn't put much effort into making sure that I'm having a good time. I haven't told anyone about us yet. I'd probably get called a bad friend, and they'd be right. Anako's barely gone a month and you're banging her ex, they'd say. So, it's probably best that they don't know.

One day, I get into his office. I instantly feel uneasy, though that's not unusual. Raiden's face makes it look like he's hesitating. I'm expecting the worse, like someone's trying to kill me or something.

"I have something to ask you." Raiden holds his hands, placing them on the desk in front of him. I say nothing and sit on the desk, staring at him until he continues. "Don't give me that look."

"Then just ask me already." He leans back in his chair with wide eyes. I raise my eyebrows, this is taking too long.

"I was thinking," I shoot a glare at him. "Well, from what Shinji said, you did pretty well in that fight against the Red Serpents. I was thinking, since fighting isn't really my thing,  _you_  could be in charge of that."

"Me?" I blink slowly. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am." He sighs, which makes me doubt him. "I guess that would make a sort of leader. I'll still be leader, and deal with the… behind the scenes stuff. Meanwhile, you'll be more of a figurehead. I think you're ready for it."

"And what if I don't?" I shake my head. "I've only been here for about a year, Raiden. There are people who have been here a lot longer than me. If I could choose anyone to promote, it would be Shinji. He was literally here when you founded this gang, Raiden. I know there's things going on between us, but I don't want this to be brought into Black Flag. Choosing me instead of more worthy people will send out a really bad message. That's not what we need right now. Enough people followed Anako and left after the Yuudai and Kakeru thing."

Raiden stands up from the desk and sighs. He begins to walk over to the window, his dress shoes making clicking sounds on the concrete floor.

"Yuuka," he sighs again. "I wouldn't promote anyone else over you. You have something special, something no one else here has." He turns back around to look at me. "Experience fighting in the Satellite. From what you've told me, gangs in the Satellite are a different beast from what we face here. If we could use your knowledge somehow, we could conquer the City and make it a less shitty place. Can't you see that?"

I almost say yes, but then I hesitate. Raiden's eyebrows furrow.

"Think about it," is all he says before he asks me to leave.

After that, Raiden ignored me for a week straight. Now, you'd think after all the horrid experiences I've had with him that I wouldn't care, but I did. I just naturally levitate to people that make me feel special. Raiden makes me feel that way. Everytime he looks at me, it's almost like all of his attention is directed at me. It makes me feel giddy inside. Now, that I don't have that, I feel worthless. I spend more time with Shinji. He's figured out that something's going on between Raiden and I. He tries to pry details out of me, but I can't bring myself to talk about it.

I still think that I shouldn't be the figurehead leader, or whatever Raiden wants to call it. I lied about having previous gang experience, not that I'd tell him that. I'm weak and fragile, I run for three minutes and I feel like I'm going to cough up blood. I've tried numbing my senses until entire periods of my life just feel like a blur, so my powers don't freak out and accidentally kill someone. I don't know what Raiden sees me, but I'm not a leader. I'm not strong enough to lead people towards some greater purpose. I could never been the face of a revolution.

Yet, here I am, knocking on his apartment door. He opens the door slowly, he opens it fully once he gets a glance at me through the crack. He sighs and leans on the doorframe, but doesn't invite me inside.

"Fine," I say before he has the chance too. "I'll do it. I'll become the figurehead of Black Flag."

He smirks and pushes himself off the doorframe and lets me inside. He closes the door behind me. Once I'm inside, he pins me to the door with his hands on either side of my head. My neck strains slightly as I look up at his face.

"I have one condition," I mutter. He looks at me expectantly so I continue. "I don't want to use my powers to hurt people."

"If that's what you want," he chuckles. He leans down and kisses me slowly. I feel my back arch as I can't help but kiss him back. Oh gods, what am I doing? My  _other_ condition for becoming leader was stopping this relationship between us, it would only hurt the gang if it continued. But here I am, kissing him back like the idiot I am because I can't go one week without constant praise and affection.

"Good girl," he says and I get a chill down my spine. "I'll make sure you get your reward."

* * *

Apparently, Raiden wasn't talking about sex for once, even though that did happen. A few days later, he brings me to an apartment complex, just a few minutes walk from the Daimon Area.

"Now that you're a leader, you're going to be in a lot more danger." He says, handing me a key. He looks at me expectantly, so I open the gate into the complex. "I imagine you don't want your father getting involved in this, so I went to the effort of getting you an apartment. It's number 5." He points to the stairs beside us, and we walk up them to the next floor of apartment.

We follow the little path about halfway down until we reach apartment number 5, the door looks like it's seen better days. I turn the key in the door. I look around the room as I walk inside. It's one room, mostly. There's a small kitchen unit on my left, a bathroom to my right, and a bed on the opposite wall.

"Now, it's not much-" Raiden begins to say.

"I mean, it's more than I could ever ask for. The building I used to live in didn't even have a roof." I turn to look at Raiden. "But how am I going to pay for this?"

"Don't worry about it." He waves his hand. "Rent here isn't expensive, so I'll cover it. And that includes the bills too."

"Raiden, I-" I can't even finish. Honestly, I'm a bit gobsmacked that he would even consider doing that.

"Stop making a fuss." He shakes his head. "Just accept it, okay?"

"Fine." I huff. Normally, I would continue, but getting out of my dad's hair is what I need. I don't really even see him anymore. I literally just go back to that house to sleep. I don't think he'd even notice if I moved out.

"Good girl," Raiden winks at me and makes me uncomfortable. I think he realises that, so he stops talking altogether.

"Thank you for this, honestly." I smile at him. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Just continue to lead this gang, Yuuka," Raiden shakes his head, "as long as you do that, this place is yours."

Our eyes meet and I'm taken aback. I note the threat behind his words. Raiden's put empty threats into his words before. But this… this is the first time that the threat has felt real.

He hands me the mysterious black package in his hands. Upon taking it, I realise that it's fabric. I unwrap the fabric, a cape, and it tumbles away to reveal a mask inside. A pure white mask with red teardrop shapes underneath the eyes. I've seen this before. A mask and cape to hide my identity as I fight gangs.

"Thank you," I mutter with less integrity than before.

"Another thing," Raiden begins to talk again. "I also found you a job. Now, it's not minimum wage. You're still from the Satellite, even if you're a citizen here. My mother's kindly offered you a job in her boutique." Oh that's  _not_ going to awkward at all. Oh hi Mrs. Kimura, no, I'm not your son's girlfriend, but he is secretly banging me. "It's not much money, but it should be enough to buy yourself food."

"I just-"

"What?" Raiden raises an eyebrow.

"Thank you," I mutter.

"Just remember our bargain, Yuuka." Raiden turns to walk out. "You hold up your end, and I'll hold up mine. C'mon, let's go." He says, and I can't do anything but follow.

* * *

"You've spending a lot of time around that guy, Takumi Chiba was it?" Raiden asks me out of the blue one day. He asks his name like it's a question. I know it's not, he's probably done plenty of research into him already. "Are you sure he's trustworthy? He could just be using you. He could be in a gang, you know, and know who you are."

"He's just a friend," I sigh. Everytime I start to make a friend, who just happens to be a guy, he does this. I tell him to leave me alone, and then that person magically never texts me back again. "And don't worry about him being competition either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raiden furrows his eyebrows. I shake my head. The other night in Psycho, when we went together, he got into a fight with a guy who was dancing with me. I say dancing with me, it was more like dancing beside me.

"Takumi likes to tell me about how much he likes putting his dick up his boyfriend's ass, so I don't think that's a problem." Raiden gets flustered and drops the subject.

I know that Takumi is one of the gayest people on the planet, so I'm using that to my advantage. Raiden won't get jealous if I spend time with him. Heck, he barely lets me spend time with Shinji. It's only because Shinji is his cousin, and I convinced Shinji to ask out Reika after years of pining. This means that the only guys that I'm friends with are Takumi and Shinji. There's no girls left in Black Flag other than Reika and I. So, I literally have three friends. I'd like to say four, but Takumi's boyfriend Kenta does  _not_  like me at all.

As expected, after I became the figurehead leader, a lot of people left. They said it was unfair that I got promoted just because I was banging Raiden, and I had a secret agenda the whole time. They blamed me for Anako disappearing. I must admit that their words hurt. I just kept my head down and let Raiden deal with them. Everyone that's left, aside from Shinji and Reika, despise me. More people are threatening to leave if I don't step down, but Raiden won't let me. Between this and Anako, Black Flag is left with twenty members. This doesn't seem to bother Raiden. He thinks of me as a one man army, it seems.

"Actually, there's one thing I wanted to bring up to you." I straighten a pen on Raiden's desk as I sit on it. I look out the window from where I'm sitting. Raiden's office has a unobstructed view of the harbour. I notice a boat slowly pulling up to the harbour in the darkness. "I asked you if you knew a way back to the Satellite, back when we first met. You said no." I hear him gulp. "Yesterday, I was on patrol down the harbour. But I couldn't help but to hear them talking about going to the Satellite. Those boats, the ones that you watch everyday, go to the Satellite, for the black market I'm assuming. And yet, you never told me."

"Yuuka, I did it for your own good-"

"Like hell you did!" I shout back. "You know how much I hate it here. I would give anything to go back and you know this, Raiden." He closes his eyes and stands up. My hands begin to shake, but I force them to stop. I won't back down, not now.

"Yuuka, do you honestly think your friends would take you back?" He walks over to the window, blocking my view. "With open arms, like nothing has changed?" He sighs, turning back to look at me. "I can tell you now that they won't. You're a marked psychic Satellite. The absolute lowest you can go in society. You've changed, Yuuka. You're a psychic. If you go back, they'll call you a  _monster._ They'll turn their backs on you. Just give up now and save your feelings from getting hurt."

I stay silent for a second.

"You don't know my friends." I mutter. Raiden's entire body flinches. He starts walking very slowly over to me. "They would never do that to me. The Satellite is different, they won't care. You're just trying to control me like you always do. You're controlling who I talk to, what I do, where I go. You're just using m-"

Raiden raises his hand, like he's about to slap me. I flinch so hard that I nearly fall off the table. I'm gripping the table so hard that my knuckles are turning white and I'm panting.

"Do not make me raise my hand again." His voice is deathly low. "Next time, I will not hesitate to strike you."

"I-"

"Leave," is all he says.

"But-"

"Leave." His tone sounds so strict that my body practically throws itself off the desk in response.

* * *

And so, it continues just like that. I fall into this cycle. I fight with Raiden, I threaten to leave. He does something to make me feel bad. I stay. He uses me. Then, it happens all over again. You may ask why I don't leave.

The answer is that I'm scared.

Leaving Raiden means leaving Black Flag. I couldn't survive on my own. I'd lose my house, my job, two out of three friends, everything. I suppose I'd go back to the Satellite. But that scares me even more. Would my friends even take me back? Would they look at me, depressed and tainted by the City, and shun me? Probably. Yusei creeps into my head a lot, even when he shouldn't. Things almost got awkward with Raiden because of it, but I just try to suppress that memory as much as I can. But, I would be left with zero options. I have to stay here, as much as I hate it.

So, here I am. Staring at the ceiling, listening to Raiden's slow, steady breathing. He fell right asleep after we did the nasty, as usual, leaving me by myself. I can never sleep afterwards, no matter how hard I try. I can't help but think of the series of decisions that led me to this exact moment. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't get arrested, if I didn't become a psychic, if I joined a different gang. There's no point in wondering, and I know that. I chose my path and I must walk down it.

Suddenly, a red light shines through the curtains. It must be some sort of light show. I expect it to go away or change colour after a few seconds, but it doesn't. If anything, it gets brighter. I get out of the bed, and open the curtains slightly, cautious of the fact that I am very much naked. In the distance, I see a dragon flying up into the sky. Its body is pure red, and the light it radiates blinds my eyes. It must be a psychic, I thought, summoning a very big and powerful dragon.

Naturally, if you see a giant dragon in the sky, you would feel some sort of anxiety or terror. But I felt none of those things. If anything, it calmed me.

_Don't worry_ , the spirit of the dragon seemed to say, almost like a mother.  _Everything will be alright_.

As quickly as it appeared, the dragon disappeared. I continue to look out of the window at the night sky. No stars tonight, just smog. Somehow I'm reminded of that one night with Yusei, when both of us looked up at the stars. That little gadget illuminated his face with a soft, red light, then all of a sudden, I fell for him. I wonder where he is. Is he looking at this sky right now too? Is he thinking of me? I doubt it.

"What's going on?" I hear Raiden shift in the bed. "What was that light?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep." I let go of the curtain, and it falls back, obstructing my view of the sky. I hear the bed creak, and his breathing returns to its slow, steady rhythm. I lie back down in the bed beside him.

I don't know what that dragon was, and why it appeared all of a sudden. I just hope that what it said is right. All I can do is hope that, in the end, everything will be alright.


	3. Another Suitcase In Another Hall I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Anako Senmatsu  
> Summary: The three times Anako got the short end of the stick, and the one time she didn't.

_Anako_

* * *

Feeling her aura for the first time was certainly  _an experience_. I can't quite describe it, but it's like having sparks of electricity tingle your skin, followed by a sharp, cold sensation. She gets roped into a duel with another psychic, and she's allowed to make the first move. She attacks first and gives the guy a nasty gash on his arm. I try to catch her as she surrenders the duel, but she runs away too quickly.

Her aura was special. The next day, I walk into the Daimon Area and I can't help  _but_  feel her aura. Aside from Raiden, her aura must be one of the most powerful ones that I've ever felt. All this coming from a scrawny teenage girl. I find her sitting against a wall beside an alleyway, watching a duel. I know that alleyway well, I tried recruiting that Saitama kid that hangs out there, but I've gotten nowhere. I think the Jackals snatched him up before we did.

"Mind if I sit?" Her head whips around to look at me. She looks very panicked, like she didn't expect anyone to talk to her, but she nods. "Aw, thank you." I sit down on the ground. I notice that her face looks a bit flushed, and she's trying to avoid looking at me. Is she queer or just shy? That is the question. Probably both, my instinct tells me. I start playing with my ponytail, out of habit. I hate trying to recruit people, yet Raiden still insists on making me do this. "I saw you dueling yesterday."

"My duel?" She gets flustered all of a sudden. She folds her arms in a panic. She moves so quickly that her hood pulled up over her head falls down. "I-I-"

"Don't worry, I'm a psychic too." I smile at her to make her calm down. Her shoulders slump slightly like it's working. "I'm not here to do anything bad."

"Oh okay," the girl sighs in relief. "I've never met another psychic before."

"Really?" How unusual. "You must have recently discovered that you're a psychic then."

"Yeah," she speaks very slowly as if she's scared of telling me. Her head turns around to look at me more. Her magenta eyes are practically glowing compared to her very pale skin and short, washed out sandy-blonde hair. Then, she turns just enough that I see the small criminal marker under her right eye. My eyes widen. This poor girl, being marked  _and_  a psychic. She has to be younger than me, no older than fifteen.

"And you're marked too? Your poor thing." I point it out rather than saying nothing. She nods slowly. She unfolds her arm and rests them on her knees, which she's curled up in front of her. I notice how thin she is, it can hardly be healthy. I spot some redness at the creases in her wrist. She pulls down her sleeves when she notices me staring. It must be scars then. "You must have nobody then."

"I guess so," she shrugs. She says nothing more.

"I'll tell you a secret," I lean into her. Her head turns very slowly. There's a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Have you heard of duel gangs?" I give her my classic opening line in recruiting people.

"Back in the Satellite, yes." Satellite? I squint a little. How is she here if she's from the Satellite? Unless she smuggled herself in on the black-market boats. It would explain why she's on her own. "I didn't know there were any here."

"Well, I'm part of one." I flick my ponytail over my shoulder in a dramatic fashion. "It's called Black Flag. It's full of people just like you and me, psychics. You don't have to be alone anymore. We'll be your new family if your family doesn't accept you. Black Flag is already one huge family, and I want you to be a part of us."

Her eyes glaze over a little. There's a pause, like she's suddenly been reminded of something. I go to say something, but she beats me to it. "That sounds great," is all she says. There's another pause. "Why me?"

"Well," I inhale deeply, trying to get my thoughts together. "I saw your duel up until you surrendered and ran off. You have a lot of potential as a psychic. If you got the right training, who knows what you'd be capable of." I move my hand to my mouth and focus on her aura. For someone who just became a psychic, her aura is almost too strong. She's had no training at all, and this is the level she's at now. I have to resist the urge to shiver at the thought of what she could become. The girl's face flushes a little more, it's made obvious by her very pale face. "I could take you to meet our leader, if you'd like." I think I might be able to get her to join, she seems interested enough. "You don't have to, but I think it would be-"

"I'll go," she cuts me off. She's agreeing already? How bad of a situation is this girl in that she'd throw herself into a gang without a second thought?

"Oh, that's good." I nod and stand up. I offer the girl my hand and she takes it. "That's great, actually." And then she smiles. I swear that I haven't seen a more beautiful smile before. Her eyes practically glow as her face lights up. "Hold on," my brain suddenly reboots. I start to chuckle nervously. "I don't even know your name!" I can't believe that I've let myself have a full conversation with a pretty girl without learning her name.

"It's Yuuka." She mutters.

"Is there a last name that goes with that, Yuuka?" I ask. Her eyes widen a little bit, before she pauses.

"Sasaki," she finally answers. Yuuka Sasaki."

"Anako Senmatsu, it's nice to meet you." I smile at her, in an attempt to keep her smiling. It doesn't work, her smile has already faded away. "Come on, let me bring you to our base." I almost put my hand out for her to hold, but I stop myself. I've known this girl for maybe five minutes, and I'm already pulling this shit.

I walk the familiar path out of the Daimon Area. Yuuka seems very quiet. She's merely just looking around as we walk. "So Yuuka, tell me about yourself." I try to make some light conversation.

"I'm from the Satellite, if you haven't noticed." She sighs. I want to tell her that not every marked person in the Daimon Area is from the Satellite. They're normally people who have committed petty crimes, bigger crimes get you set to the Satellite. "Yeah, I got arrested for insisting that I'm a human being. I got sent to the City once they found out that I had living family here."

"Yikes," I say, not knowing what else to say. I would say she's lucky to leave the Satellite and find her family, but something tells me that she wouldn't appreciate that much. "So, I'm guessing that your new family didn't take too kindly to your mark and your new powers?"

"Yep," she sighs with her shoulders slumping, "so now I'm just doing my own thing." Wait, she's homeless too? She doesn't look like she is, despite how deathly pale and skinny she is. She looks clean and like she's eaten something in the last week at least. But maybe that's just the Satellite in her. I want to ask, but I feel like she wouldn't like that question very much. Hopefully Raiden will have the sense to ask her.

"That's fair," I nod slowly. I don't know how to respond to that. I see Yuuka looking across the Sound wistfully as we reach the dock. Poor thing, she's been through so much. Imagine having such a rough time in this City that you'd want to go back to the  _Satellite_  of all places. "Black Flag controls from the docklands to the Daimon Area." I start explaining in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts. "Our whole territory is from the Daimon Area to the Downtown District. That's actually a problem area for us. Onyx Slicers are trying to sneak into the area over the last few weeks." My eyebrows furrow slightly thinking about that. Someone put a hit on their leader, so hopefully that should calm down at least. I know that sounds bad, but a lot of people got hurt in our last fight with them.

"So, that must be a big territory, right?" Yuuka asks. "I'm new to this City, so I'm not exactly sure. But, if Black Flag is a target, that means your territory must cover a lot of ground."

"You're right," I slow down and turn to look at her. "You're familiar with gangs, then?"

"Oh yeah, I was part of one before." She says coolly like it's not a big deal. "Back in the Satellite, I was part of the biggest duel gang there. It was pretty cool."

"Why did you leave?" My eyes narrow slightly.

"Got arrested, they don't know where I am."

"Oh yeah, of course." I shake my head. My thoughts instantly went to betrayal, but that's just my mind being so used to this City. "We're getting closer to the base. Admittedly, I'm taking you the long way. But I'm guessing that you don't know this side of town well, so I'm showing you the easiest way to remember. Go from the Daimon Area, down to the docks, turn left, keep going until you see Tenjoin Road." I point at the street sign for her. "Turn onto it." We leave the dock area and turn into the small industrial estate. "Count three buildings. Turn right." I point to the familiar building up ahead. You can't miss it, since it's covered in black spray paint. I remember Shinji spending the entire day just covering the base in graffiti. He has a knack for it, I must admit. "There's the Black Flag base. Come on, let's go."

I push the heavy door open like I have hundreds of times. Everyone looks over at us, probably curious about the new aura with me, but they look away quickly.

"Hey Anako!" I hear Shinji calling out to me from the other side of the room. He's waving at us to come over.

"Come on." I grab Yuuka's arm. She seems a bit out of it, so I have to practically drag her over. "Let's make you some friends."

"New recruit?" Shinji asks as we reach him. He puts out his hand for Yuuka to shake. "The name's Shinji."

"Uh, Yuuka." She says, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Shinji smiles, which seems to put her at ease. He was probably the best person to introduce Yuuka to first. People tend to radiate to Shinji just because he's almost like a little ray of sunshine. "This is Reika."

"Hey," Reika finally joins in. Yuuka actually jumps a little, I don't think she noticed her at all. That's fair, Reika isn't exactly the friendliest or loudest person. At least, until you get to know her. She's my best friend, and if anything happened to her, I'd have someone's head on a plate.

"Raiden's in his office before you ask." Shinji turns his attention to me.

"Raiden?" Yuuka asks.

"Our leader here," Shinji answers for me. "He's also my cousin, even though we look nothing alike." It's true. Shinji and Raiden really are like day and night. I sometimes forget that the two are even related, which is saying something considering the amount of time that I spend around both of them.

"Ah cool," Yuuka responds a little awkwardly.

"Right, I'll go introduce her to Raiden." I clap my hands together. I look at Yuuka, she looks a little overwhelmed. "You ready?" I ask, to which she nods.

"See you later, Yuuka." Shinji puts up his hand in a half-hearted wave.

"Yeah, I will." Yuuka says as she begins to follow me up the stairs. I stand in front of Raiden's office.

"This is Raiden's office." I explain. "Don't go in without knocking, he hates it when people do that." My brain almost adds  _because you'll see something that you don't want to see_  at the end of that. Yuuka doesn't need to know about Raiden and I at this exact moment, or the deep inner workings of this gang. I knock on the door and I hear Raiden tell me to come in. I open the door and peek inside. I feel Yuuka hovering just behind me, looking over my shoulder.

"A new recruit?" Raiden asks.

"She's the one that I told you about." I let Yuuka into the room. I point to the spot just in front of Raiden's desk, and she walks up to it, while I just lean on the wall. I'll let him do all of the work from here.

There's a silence. Raiden's eyes study Yuuka very carefully. I try reading his aura to see what he's thinking, but it's unreadable as usual. My aura reading powers have never been the best, so that could explain it. But for some reason, I doubt it.

"Ah yes," he says after the long pause. "So, you're interested in joining Black Flag, umm…"

"Yuuka." She practically bursts out with. "Yuuka Sasaki."

"Raiden Kimura." He leans forward in his chair and shakes hands with her. "It's nice to meet you, Yuuka. I'm glad you've decided to join us. Our gang can never have enough psychics. This is a safe haven for psychics after all."

"You know that I'm a psychic?" I see her back tremble slightly.

"Of course, I know." Raiden's eyes widen slightly as he realises that she's only a fledgling psychic. Raiden can't read auras, but he must still be able to sense how strong it is. "All psychics can tell each other apart. It's a natural instinct, after all. Are you saying that, when you look at Anako and I, you don't feel anything different about us?" I feel Yuuka's aura shift, like she's concentrating.

"I think I get it," she says very softly. Raiden nods at me. She might be able to read auras, that's what he's saying. I'd be the one training her then, probably. He keeps staring. What does he want? His eyes slowly move from me to the door. He wants me to leave? I sigh and leave, slamming the door closed a little louder than necessary.

I lean on the wall outside of the office. The walls are thin enough that they don't fully block out the sound, something Raiden knows about but doesn't care enough to change.

While Raiden and I are technically friends-with-benefits, we've been thinking about actually dating. We're free to see whoever we want, but that hasn't happened in a while. So, we're thinking about just calling it official.

We're so close to being official, but for some reason, I'm hesitating. There's nothing  _wrong_  with Raiden, at least right now that is. But I saw something in his eyes just now, something that I didn't like. Not to say that I'm jealous of Yuuka, even if Raiden does end up pursuing her. There was a devious look in his eyes.  _I can teach you_ , I hear him say through the wall. He's got a plan. He felt how strong her aura was. He's planning to use that to his advantage. Well, we have been having problems with the Onyx Slicers recently.

Am I just going along with this whole relationship thing because I feel like I owe it to Raiden? The thought crosses my mind. Do  _I_  even  _want_ this?

The door opens again, and I jump. Yuuka comes out, looking surprised that I'm waiting just outside the door. She goes to say something, but it comes out as a squeak, so she just heads downstairs. I must have my resting bitch face again.

I don't even knock on Raiden's door. I just walk straight in. He doesn't seem that surprised.

"What was that?" I ask. "Why did you ask me to leave? From the sounds of it, there was nothing that important."

"Really? That's what you're upset about?" He chuckles. "I know Yuuka's type. They like to feel special. By having it as just me and her, I'm increasing the chances of her joining and  _staying_."

"I suppose," I scoff and sit on the desk. "Very strong aura, did you feel it?"

"Yes," he leans back in his chair. "An aura that strong  _and_ gang experience in the Satellite? She could be a powerful weapon. From what I've heard, gang warfare is very different there. If we train her right, we could use her knowledge to our advantage. We could take over every gang in the City much quicker than planned."

I stay silent. I want to say that Yuuka's just a child, but she's not that much younger than me by the looks of it. She's lived through the Satellite, and a different gang. I want to say that she wouldn't be able for it, but I can't bring myself to say it. I saw a harshness in her eyes. I don't know what this girl is capable of.

"I don't know," I respond.

"Really?" Raiden raises his eyebrows at me. "I thought you would have agreed with me."

"I just think that it's too soon to say anything," I sigh. "We should let her settle in here, before we do anything too rash."

"Time's not on our side, Anako." Raiden rubs the space between his eyebrows. "You know how close we came to losing to the Onyx Slicers last time."

"Throwing Yuuka at our problems isn't going to make them any better." I place both of my hands on the desk. "I'm telling you this now, before you start making stupid decisions."

"I need to make a phone call," Raiden says abruptly. That's his code for  _get out_. He always hates it when someone questions him. He takes it like they're attacking him. A mere conversation turns into an argument too quickly.

I push myself off the desk and walk out of the room without saying anything. Recently, I've noticed a change in Raiden. He seems somehow colder. I think that fight with the Onyx Slicers pushed him over the edge. I want to help, but he doesn't seem to like my suggestions much.

I don't push him. The whole reason that I'm alive is because of Raiden. I had just joined Black Flag when my parents found out that I was a psychic, and promptly kicked me out. On the drop of a hat, Raiden got me an apartment just outside of the Daimon Area and a job in his mother's boutique. He stopped me from living on the streets. I'm endlessly grateful to him.

But still, I can't let him use this poor girl as a pawn.

* * *

Raiden gives Yuuka his jacket after her initiation. He starts teaching her how to control her powers. I see them becoming closer over such a short space of time. I have to do something, I think to myself.

I change the patrol schedule so that I end up with Yuuka most of the time. Reika's angry at me, but I just tell her to trust me. She glares at Yuuka every time that she sees her now. I think Yuuka's terrified of her now. Still, I don't tell anyone about why I'm doing all of this.

I learn a lot about Yuuka on our patrols. Her birth mother gave up when she was born and was adopted by her aunt. Yuuka and her aunt, who she refers to as her mother, got stuck in the Satellite after the Zero Reverse. Her mother died when she was seven. She is sixteen, not too far from my original guess. She turned sixteen not that long ago, but she won't tell me when her birthday is. She never made a big deal out of it. If I can't find it out, I'll pick a random day to throw a party for her. After that, she got taken in by another woman named Martha. She also took in other orphans. Her friends formed a gang called Team Satisfaction. She doesn't tell much about the gang, despite how much I ask. I give up eventually. It might be too painful to talk about. She got arrested for insisting that she's a human being. Through a series of coincidences, she found out that she had family in the City. She went to Duel Academy. Must be a rich family, I reckon. She has an older brother. Her powers first activated when dueling him. She broke his arm. After that, she ran away and started living with her dad, where she still is now. That makes me feel relieved. Good to know that the poor girl isn't homeless.

"That's quite a story." I say as she finishes. Yuuka's told me bits and pieces over many patrols. She's become more comfortable in herself, I think. She opened up to me that much, that must count for something.

"You think so?" She asks. "There's always people with worse stories."

I can't help but feel drawn to her. It sounds strange, but it's true. I would say she's broken, but it doesn't feel right. She doesn't need to be fixed, she just needs to be loved.

I realise that, and I think that I want to be the one who gives it to her. I'm a bit taken aback by that. Yuuka's just my friend, that's all. I merely trying to protect her from whatever Raiden's plan is. I'm becoming friends with her, so that I can sway her decision when Raiden puts it in front of her. That's all, I reassure myself. That's all.

That doesn't last very long.

"So, I'm sitting there. In this slimy-ass bucket." Yuuka spreads out her hands in a very dramatic fashion that I've come to associate with her storytelling.

"Slimy-ass bucket," I repeat. I burst out laughing, and she does too.

"It's true." She nods furiously. "It was  _nasty_."

"Continue," I nod along with her. She's telling me about the time that she got kidnapped by a rival gang.

"So, I hear footsteps outside of the closet door." My brain stops paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth. It sounds bad, but my brain just wants to stare at her face. Her eyes are so bright right now. I can never help  _but_  notice her eyes. The vivid magenta of her eyes stands out too well from her pale skin and hair, and I just can't stop staring at them.

I think of the way that her eyes lit up when she smiles. The way her face crinkles when she laughs. The fact that we laugh so much when we're together. It's then that I know that I'm in too deep.

"Are you okay?" She asks, having just realised that I've stopped listening.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lie because I've just come to the realisation that I might be falling for the person that I'm trying to protect.

* * *

"I've never been to a house party before." Yuuka says as she walks into the party with me. I don't even who's place this is. I just got told by Shinji that someone in the gang was having a house party tonight.

"Have you drank before?" I ask out of curiosity.

"A little bit," she says it so coolly that I wonder if she's lying. Someone practically a beer can into her hand. She jumps slightly, nearly dropping the can.

It turns out that she was lying. She didn't even finish the first can before she tripped and landed on me. Her face goes red, and apologies come out of her mouth so fast that I don't understand them. She then tells me that she's never drank before. I get her a cup of water. She's so embarrassed that she takes it without question.

"Next time don't drink so fast." Shinji tries to suppress a laugh as Yuuka looks like a small child that's being scolded, right down to her glossy eyes.

"Okay," she mutters. "I won't have beer next time anyway." Yuuka tells us the story of how her group of friends back in the Satellite found a bottle of cheap vodka but drank from it straight. They never knew you were supposed to mix it with something. I don't tell her that Shinji and I have both drank vodka straight.

We get roped into a game of truth and dare. It's a standard game. People tell their dirty secrets, embarrass themselves in dares. Shinji gets dared to mix every drink at the party in a cup and chug it. Surprisingly, he doesn't puke there and then.

Then, it's his turn. He looks at me with this grin. I freeze in my spot. I probably look terrified. I know this grin. He's up to no good.

"Now, who to choose…" He looks to Yuuka, and then back to me. "Anako!" My heart starts racing, more than it already was. "Truth or-" Shinji gets interrupted by Yuuka suddenly jumping up and running out of the room. I hear the mutterings of everyone else in the room, so I jump up and follow her. I find her in the kitchen, looking very red in the face and quite sickly.

"You gonna be sick?" She's leaning on the kitchen counter, right beside the sink. She doesn't meet my eye, or even look at me. "Are you okay?"

"Do you know what Shinji was going to dare you to do?" She asks suddenly. She grips the counter harder, and her knuckles turn pure white.

"I had an idea, but I wasn't sure." He was probably going to dare me to make out with Yuuka. He knows that I'm pining. But does Yuuka know?

"And you were  _okay_  with that?" I nod slowly. "It was Shinji's idea. He asked if I wanted him to dare you to…"

"To what?" I take small steps towards her.

"Kiss me," she whispers.

"And what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything." She inhales deeply. "You came back from the bathroom, so I couldn't say anything." I thought Shinji was just teasing her, but no. I came back and immediately got roped into the game. Shinji knows that I like her, but he asked  _her_. Does that mean she…? I walk slowly towards her until I'm standing right in front of her. She refuses to meet my eyes.

"What were you going to say?" Our faces are so close that I can practically see my own reflection in her eyes. She looks up at me and licks her lips.

"What would you have done if I hadn't run away?" She shivers slightly as she looks at me expectantly. Is she asking me to kiss her? Her face moves ever so slightly forward. So, I meet her halfway. I feel her jaw clench underneath my hand. She hesitates, almost pulling back, but then, she only pushes harder.

I pull back slowly. Her neck extends very slightly, in an attempt to kiss me again. Yuuka's eyes open slowly, they're glossed over completely. The pink of her eyes somehow stands out against the blush dusting her face.

This time, she kisses me. She puts her hands around my waist and pulls me closer. It very quickly turns into a make out session, with Yuuka sitting on top of a kitchen counter. We only pull away when we hear cheering. Our heads turn very slowly to look at Shinji standing in the doorway, clapping.

"Finally," is all he says. I suddenly become aware of the eyes peeking around the corner. What is it about two girls making out that makes guys go insane? I glare hard enough that everyone, except Shinji, gets the message and leaves. "Do you want me to leave too?"

Neither of us answer. Yuuka's not looking at either of us. Her complexion very much resembles a tomato. I feel the sheer power of her aura. She's very nervous, and has been, this entire time. I consider for a second that it was her first kiss. I toss that idea away just as quickly since she seemed a little  _too_  good for that to be the case.

Shinji takes the hint and sneaks away. I don't even notice him leave. Yuuka hops down off the counter. My eyes follow her as she moves towards the fridge. She takes a can of beer from one of the boxes that fill up the entirety of the fridge. She cracks it open and takes a long swig out of it. I imagine she drank like a third of it in one go.

Is she going to say anything? How can you make out with someone, and just  _pretend_  that it didn't happen? Oh gods, is she regretting it now? Quick, I need to do something. Yuuka takes another sip from the can. Judging by how far she's tilting the can, I'd guess that it's nearly empty.

She walks back over to me. The smell of cheap beer is starting to overpower her natural scent. Our eyes meet again, as she says nothing. She leans forward and presses her lips to mine ever so gently. Before I can even react, she's running away again. I hear her feet running up the stairs. Then, since the toilet is directly above the kitchen, I can hear her puking. But there is only thought running through my head. Did she down that can of beer just to have the courage to kiss me again?

* * *

I never got the chance to ask her. Shinji and I tried to take her home after she was done puking. Only to realise that it was two in the morning, and that we had no idea where she lived. Yuuka was trying her best to stand, so she was no help. My place was out of the question. It only had one room with one bed and bathroom. So, we decided to bring to Shinji's place and let her sleep on the couch, with a bucket beside her. Ms Yamazaki was surprisingly understanding of the situation, but then again, Shinji's mother was, and still is, a party girl.

She didn't have that much of a hangover the next morning, which surprised both of us. I've heard that some psychics don't get hangovers at all, so maybe she's just lucky. So once the alcohol from the party was out of her system, Shinji suggested that we bring her to Psycho, the nightclub for psychics. Yuuka only asked if she has to drink beer again.

 _Well_ , that's the only thing she asked us.

Yuuka says nothing as we get ready together. I loan one of my dresses since she didn't really have anything appropriate for a club. I was hoping that she'd bring up the kiss that we had. Turns out that she got so drunk that she forgot it. Well, y'know, something could happen tonight. It wasn't just a fluke. I could feel that in the kiss.

So, the three of us are in the queue to get into Psycho and guess who shows up. Raiden Kimura. Ever since Yuuka joined, things have gone sour between Raiden and me. He's starting to go down a dark road, and I won't follow. I thought, by getting closer to Yuuka, I could save her from doing the same. Turns out, I was wrong since she was the one who invited him here. Shinji gives me a worried look as the two walk in together, laughing.

Raiden offers to buy the first round of drinks. I follow him to the bar. I glance back at Shinji and Yuuka to see both of them staring at me. Just before Raiden reaches the bar, I tap his shoulder.

"What am I getting Yuuka?" is all he asks.

"You're not getting her anything!" I spit back. "I told you to leave her alone."

"All I'm doing is being nice, Anako." He raises an eyebrow at me, seeming confused at my anger. "She's the one who invited me. I don't know why you're getting angry. I'm just teaching her to restrain her powers, that's all."

"So, she can be your pawn." His eyes narrow at me. For a second, I can see him considering dragging me out into the beer garden, so this conversation isn't in front of a lot of people.

"Now don't-"

"What?" I interrupt him. "That's exactly what you said. I see you getting close to her. You're making her laugh, you're making her feel special. Don't think that I don't notice you making her putty in your hands."

"You're just jealous." He scoffs before turning his back to me.

"At least I've kissed her." I feel myself losing control. I don't know why I say that. Bragging rights, I suppose. I doubt he even likes her in that way. It would be weird if he did. Yuuka's too pure for someone like Raiden, he'd only taint her.

"Oh, I've heard." He smirks at me. "That actually gave me an idea-"

"Say another word and I'll break your jaw." Raiden really is a straight male through and through.

"Now, now." He blinks at me in surprise, not taking my threat seriously. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" I say nothing. I'm getting nowhere. "What drink am I getting Yuuka? Now that she's gone off beer."

"Vodka soda," I say in defeat. He doesn't respond to me and orders from the bar. He hands me the drinks for Shinji and me, carrying his and Yuuka's drink himself. I tempted to throw the drinks at him, but I'd probably get thrown out of here.

I can't bring myself to enjoy everything that's going on around me, which sounds silly. It's true. The mere presence of Raiden Kimura is making my skin crawl.

Shinji's caught onto this. He's dragging Yuuka further and further into the crowd to dance, leaving Raiden and I alone. Talk it out, that's the message he's sending to us.

"Beer garden?" Raiden asks, not really looking at me. I merely nod, as I start to walk. He lights up a cigarette as soon as we step into the open air. He offers me one, but I don't take it. I'm not in the mood to smoke right now. The beer garden is empty at the minute, it's a random Wednesday in the middle of March. The nightclub itself isn't even that busy.

"Are you going to say anything?" He says after a long drag. He paces around me as I sit on a bench.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Wh-"

"Answer the question." I hear him scoff.

"So, we can take over the City." He flicks his cigarette ash, it barely misses my knee. "We came too close to being taken out during the last battle with the Onyx Slicers. I knew something had to change. In walks Yuuka. Do you not see her potential, Anako? I haven't felt an aura like that before, such untamed power. Can you imagine what we could do if we controlled that? I'm going to train her. Put that power to good use. Combine that with her knowledge of Satellite gang warfare, and we have a literal firecracker in our hands. Nothing could ever stand in our way."

"At what cost, Raiden?" I exhale through my nose. "Yuuka is just a child. Last week, she drank for the first time. Is that really the kind of person you want to turn into a  _weapon_?"

"That doesn't matter." Raiden takes another drag. "If the situation calls for it, I will not hesitate to sacrifice anything for our family."

"Even if that thing is family?" He turns to look at me. "You call Black Flag family, and Yuuka is Black Flag. You can't escape that truth."

"We need her, Anako." He sighs. "I refuse to let Black Flag fall. I don't know why you're obsessing over this girl so much. She's nothing special if you take her powers away."

"You're wrong," I answer. "You will never succeed until you understand that."

"You're just foolish." He crushes the cigarette underneath his shoe. "She's a weapon, as you called her, and that's all that matters."

Raiden leaves the beer garden as a large group of people come up here. Two drunk girls come over to me and start to braid my straightened hair.

"Dump him." One of them says.

"He looks like a right asshole, he does." The other says while braiding my hair surprisingly quickly.

Once they finish braiding, they give me a leaf from one of the potted plants and tell me to feel better. I manage to smile for them and get them to leave me alone.

I feel like I'm not getting through to Raiden at all. Did I not try hard enough? I think I've already lost this battle. Yuuka is doomed to be Raiden's lapdog and weapon, and there's nothing I can do about it.

* * *

_If the situation calls for it, I will not hesitate to sacrifice anything for our family._

That's what he said, very clearly. It keeps spinning around in my head. He spoke like he's already made a sacrifice. What could he have sacrificed?

My mind goes back to the sudden death of that Onyx Slicers' leader. Another one has died since. I can't help but think it's a coincidence. Their leader gets taken out after they nearly took over our territory. Is the sacrifice blood on Raiden's hands?

So, when Raiden calls me at one in the morning, I figure it's my chance to find out. I go over to his apartment in the dark of the night.

"Why did you call me?" I ask as soon as he closes the door behind me.

"Why do you think?" He slowly unzips my hoodie, and then his hand moves to my shirt.

"I have one question to ask." My hand flies up to restrain his wrist.

"Go ahead," he scowls.

"Did you, or did you not, put a hit in on that Onyx Slicers' leader after we nearly lost to them?"

His eyes widen, and mine do too. My hands start to shake. I'm touching a  _murderer_.

"Now, Anako, we've all had to do things out of necessity-"

"But murder?"

He's silent. He forces his wrist out of my grasp and paces the room.

"I don't think you understand, Anako." He lets out a shaky exhale. "How close we were to being taken out. We were only saved by the Cardinal Dragons, who just happen to hate the Onyx Slicers more than they hate us."

"No gang is more important than a human life."

"If it weren't for this gang, you'd be homeless just like so many of our brothers and sisters!" Raiden starts shouting. I press my back to the door out of fear. "Do you want to end up like that? If I didn't do what needed to be done, you'd be out on your ass! You should be thankful."

"I refuse." I clench my fist. "I refuse to be thankful for this, when you've murdered for it. I refuse to let you use Yuuka as a weapon. I refuse to let you go down this path anymore."

Raiden starts to move slowly towards me. That's when I begin to fear for my life.

"You clearly don't want Black Flag to survive, and to reach our goal. You're abandoning our brethren. You don't care for us. You're putting some stupid crush before the gang. You're a traitor."

My hand scrambles for the door handle. His eyes are glowing with the intensity of his words. He's silent for a few moments. I pray to every god that I can remember the name of, so that I might survive this moment.

"Black Flag has no place for traitors," is all he says.

"So, what happens now?" I whisper.

"You will leave Black Flag. You will leave this City. You will move out of that apartment. You will leave and  _not_  come back. Do you understand me?" The glow of his eyes flare, just so I get the message.

He reaches for the door handle and opens the door, forcing me to move. I nod, slipping out the door and into the night.

I run all the way home with tears in my eyes. I slam my apartment door shut behind me. My back slips down it until I'm a puddle on the floor. I start to sob.

I've fucked up.

I've  _fucked_ up.

_I've fucked up._

How could I do this to myself? First, I tell my parents that I'm a psychic, and then I told Raiden that I refuse to be a part of his plan. I'm out on my own again. Who knows if someone will be kind enough to open another door for me?

I force myself up off the ground. I start shoving clothes and underwear into a backpack. I take my wad of money out from underneath the mattress. I saved what I could for this exact purpose. I'm used to being thrown out at this point, I might as well prepare for it. I throw my phone charger in the bag, I can't believe that I nearly missed it. I zip up the backpack and look around at that room. I'm leaving so much stuff behind, but there's nothing I can do. I make sure that I've packed all the essentials, including toiletries.

I walk out the door and leave the keys under the mat. It's only when I leave the apartment complex that I start to cry again.

I struggle to take a deep breath. I must press on. I start walking to the train station. I suppose I'll have to wait on the first train at this point. I'll go anywhere. Anywhere that's not this City. I manage to take a deep breath this time. I'll get by, I always have before.

* * *

I close my eyes in the hopes of sleep. The rattling of the train keeps me from achieving that. The jacket I've thrown over myself isn't keeping me warm in the empty train cabin at six in the morning.

I take my red choker out of my backpack, and I run my thumb over the red velvet. Normally, I'd wear it everywhere. It's something of a friendship necklace, and Reika has the matching one. I'm currently wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, so I'm not in the mood to wear a choker right now. Not that it's ever stopped Reika.

I manage to book a train that goes as far from Neo Domino as possible. My passport's been out of date for a year, since I got kicked out by my parents, so leaving the country altogether is not an option. At least right now, I think I can afford to go out to one of the islands off the coast. Anywhere that's not Neo Domino.

My second train pulls up into the biggest town on one of the islands. I look at my remaining money. I think it will be better if I save my money and try to get myself a bedsit somewhere. I was living in one before, so it can't be a downgrade as long as I have a roof over my head.

I sit in a cafe to charge my phone. I buy the cheapest thing on the menu, so I sit there for longer. Thirty missed calls between Reika and Shinji. None from Yuuka. I'm a little disappointed. No doubt Raiden's already spun some lie that I'm a traitor who sold out the gang, and Yuuka will never want to talk to me again.

Another call from Reika comes in. I slide the green circle across the screen.

"Start explaining." No hello or anything, straight down to business. I sigh, Reika will never change. "Don't you dare hang up."

"Well-"

"Raiden says you're a traitor, and you left of your own accord. I refuse to believe you. I always told you he was up to no good. Did he force you to leave? Are you okay? Where are you? Are you-"

"Reika, don't worry about me." I sigh again, putting my head in my free hand. "I'm already out of the City. I got the first train out this morning. I'm on the other side of the country. I don't want to come back, so just leave me alone, okay?"

There's silence. For a second, I think she's hung up, but then I hear her exhale.

"I can't believe you thought that I would leave you alone." I roll my eyes. Once Reika starts, it's hard to get her to shut up. Her pace just quickens until you can't understand her anymore. "Just because you're on the other side of the country doesn't mean I will abandon you. Raiden says we're not supposed to contact you at all, but when have I ever listened to Raiden?"

"Never-"

"I won't ask you why now." She slows down, like she's considering her word choice. "No doubt Raiden forced you out. You two have been fighting a lot lately. I suspected something like this might happen after that night in Psycho. Shinji told me about it, since you refuse to give me the details. He's gone power hungry, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," is all I say.

"Have you heard about the thing with the Cardinal Dragons last night?" My head lifts up slowly. She takes my silence as a no. "Raiden said you left before this happened. But apparently, late last night, Yuudai and Kakeru were murdered on Cardinal Dragons' territory. Raiden refuses to go to war with them. People are going crazy. We're lost a third of our members already."

"Reika, do me a favour." I hear her hum. "Watch out for the Onyx Slicers. If their leader is taken out in the next while, they were the real culprit. I can't tell you the reason why now but believe me. I think there's a deal with the Cardinal Dragons, I'm not sure."

"I'll keep my eye out."

"Actually, that's not my real favour to ask."

"It's about Yuuka, isn't it?" She sighs. I know she doesn't like her that much, which is an understatement. Shinji called her out on being jealous that I was spending more time with Yuuka than with her. She got very red in the face, which means he was right on the mark.

"It is." I take a deep breath. I don't know how to word this, without giving away everything that's happened. I don't want to say all that in a public place. "Just make sure she doesn't go down the path that I went down."

"I will," she says rather reluctantly.

"I need to go find accommodation." I squint as the dusk's last light burns my eyes. "It's getting pretty late."

"That's a good idea." There's a pause. "Don't forgot that I'm here for you, okay? You may be on the other side of the country, but I'm still your best friend."

"I won't." I manage a chuckle. "But thank you. I don't know what I did to deserve you, honestly."

"You were yourself." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Text me when you get accommodation. Don't be afraid to sleep in a hostel, it's better than streets."

"Okay  _mom_." She laughs. "Goodbye." I say.

"Night," she says back before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Luckily, I find a bedsit within the hour. I notice that the building is mostly occupied by single women, some with small children. I don't think it's a coincidence. It's the city furthest away from Neo Domino in the country. I think we're all escaping something.

The bedsit isn't too different from what I'm used to. The landlord let me pay a portion of the deposit. He said that I can pay the rest when I get my first paycheck. Some actual decency. As odd as it sounds, that gesture made me feel like I was on the other side of the world from Neo Domino.

The next day, I return to the coffee shop with the resume I printed off in the local library. Someone had quit the previous night and they had no one to cover their shift, so I get hired that day. I get paid in two weeks, which my landlord is okay with. The job's only part-time, so I get another job in the convenience store down the street from the coffee shop.

I keep in touch with Reika. Like she'd let me do anything other than that. She hasn't told anyone about me, aside from the fact that I'm okay. Yuuka didn't find out about me until after I asked.

Surprisingly, Reika actually making an effort to be nice to her. She realised what I meant by the  _path_  I went down. She's trying her best, but Raiden seems to be spinning lies as usual. She doesn't believe that I'm a traitor. That made me relieved more than anything else. If I ever go back to the City, I know I have more than one ally.

 _If_.

Life is nice out here. While it's still a city, it's so much smaller than Neo Domino. The people are friendlier, everything is just so much more relaxing. A part of me misses the excitement that was Black Flag.

My life is lonely. Sure, Reika calls as much as she can. But that doesn't erase the fact that I'm still on my own out here.

A pretty girl started flirting with me in the coffee shop. She came in every morning at ten past eight. She had these big brown eyes, they were beautiful. They were the most striking thing about her. I looked forward to seeing them every day. Then, one day, I was feeling a bit risky, so I wrote my number on her cup. We texted for a bit. We went on a date. We hooked up afterwards and I never saw her again.

That made me feel even lonelier.

It made me realise something. One, I am very touch starved. Two, I miss affection. I miss warm smiles and a hand on the arm.

So maybe that's why I continue in this cycle. I meet queer women. We talk, we flirt. Go on a date, maybe the cinema, maybe some dinner. We hook up. Then, I never see them again. At this point I'm convinced that I've slept with every single queer woman in this city. And not a single man.

Reika says that I'm not over Yuuka, and maybe she's right. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't constantly think about her. There are times that I think that no one will ever understand me the way she did.

There's another reason I can't stop thinking about her.

Within a month of me leaving, Yuuka's become the figurehead leader. Not only that, but Raiden's moved her into my old apartment  _and_  my old job, working for his mother in her boutique.

Reika blames herself, naturally. I tell her not to. What I don't say is the blame should be put on me. If only I had pushed a little harder. I wonder what would have happened if I had asked her out after we kissed. Not gonna lie, but that thought did cross my head that night.

After six months of me leaving, Reika tells me that Shinji thinks Raiden and Yuuka are dating. She knows better, she says.  _Yuuka couldn't leave if she tried_. Those words echo in my mind. This was the situation that I wanted to avoid. She's trapped and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Raiden won.

Reika's starting to grow fond of Yuuka. I can hear it in her voice. Her maternal instinct is kicking in.

After a year, Reika tells me that Yuuka has a suspicious bruise on her face. She claimed that she was attacked while on patrol. Reika thinks she's lying. The bruise covers too wide an area. Due to her accelerated healing, it's going away quickly but it's still visible. Reika thinks she's covering up for Raiden. She's been talking about how she misses the Satellite a lot recently. Yuuka really is trapped, I say to Reika who says nothing in return. For a second, I think about going back, but I throw it away just as quickly. I tried to stop this and failed. It's not my place to try again.

It's been over a year and a half.

Neo Domino feels like a distant dream. I've adjusted to the more laid-back pace here. I have people that I occasionally talk to, mostly just people from the coffee shop. But I still have no real friends. I had good friends, best friends, in Neo Domino. I think I'm not making friends because I don't want to replace the old ones, and I know that the new ones won't be as good. Maybe it's because, one day, I know I'll go back. I tell myself I won't, but I feel like I'm lying to myself.

Maybe that's because I am.

Reika calls me again. I assume it's just our regular call every Thursday night. It's a bit later than normal, but I think nothing of it. She doesn't even say hello, she just sobs.

"Reika? Reika! What's wrong?" My mind starts thinking of every possible thing that's gone wrong. Someone's dead. Her mother, Shinji, Yuuka. She's been kicked out of her house. Anything. A combination.

"It's- It's Yuuka." A name she hasn't brought up in three months. "Something terrible happened."

"What happened, Reika?" I hear snuffles over the phone. "Please."

"I can't tell you." She exhales sharply. "It's not my place to tell you. I want to tell you, but I can't."

"What happened before all this?" I start pacing in my very small room, I'm grateful that I just cleaned in here. "You haven't mentioned anything about Yuuka in a while."

"She disappeared a few months ago, after Yusei Fudo became King." She sighs. Yusei? Isn't he Yuuka's friend from the Satellite? It didn't click in my mind when I saw the headline. "There was some misunderstanding, she went to the Satellite to find him. Since she came back, she hasn't been the same since. I wanted to help her, but Shinji said that she can barely handle having him around and that I might make her worse." Yuuka not able to deal with Shinji? Something's definitely wrong. By the sounds of it, they became best friends after I left, and now this. "And now-" She starts sobbing again. I stop pacing.

I realise what's wrong now. I remember the first time I met Yuuka, and the scars on her wrist. She must have…

"Is she still alive?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes," her voice shakes. "Barely. She wasn't breathing when Shinji found her. He's with her right now."

"At least she's alive."

I never should have left. That thought has been floating to the front of my mind every now and again. Maybe I could have done something to stop this. What if I just stood up to Raiden instead of running away like a coward?

"Please come back," Reika's voice is hoarse, probably from all the crying. "I'm scared for Yuuka. You're the only one who get through to her, I know it."

I stay silent.

Do I want to go back? Do I want to face everything that will be waiting there for me? Going back not only means helping Yuuka, but dealing with Raiden too.

"I'll think about it." I hear Reika sigh in response. "I don't know if I'm ready to come back."

"Please think about it." I hear shuffling in the background. "Shinji just texted me. He's bringing Yuuka over to his place tonight, so he can keep an eye on her. His mom's on holiday with her friends, so it's the best place right now. I'm going to head over now." I hear the distinct sound of zip. "Did I tell you that I'm making her a D-Wheel?" I feel like Reika's changing the topic to keep herself from crying. "She's been having a rough time recently. I was aiming to have it done by her birthday, but that didn't quite work out."

"She finally told you her birthday?" I remember Yuuka insisting on not telling anyone but tells Reika of all people.

"By accident. Turns out that it's two days after Shinji's." She explains. "We did his birthday party on Halloween. When it turned midnight and Yuuka was drunk, she started singing happy birthday to herself. So, it's November first."

"Sounds like Yuuka," I chuckle a little. There are two things that Yuuka does when she gets drunk, sing and laugh a lot. Maybe kissing me should be in there. I start to remember the kiss in vivid detail, but it starts to distract me, so I put it away for later. "I'll let you go, you have more important things to do."

"You're right," she says softly. "Please just… think about it, okay? Do it for her."

"Okay, I will." I sigh. "Goodnight."

"Night." She hangs up, saying no more.

I stare at my phone in the silence. I look around my tiny bedsit. Should I leave? Maybe I can go visit and come back. Going back to Neo Domino doesn't have to mean leaving here. Who am I kidding? Once I make that decision, I'm not going back on it.

I start to pace again. Yuuka tried to kill herself. Reika didn't have to say it, but I knew. Yuuka has that same darkness that I have. I've been there, but I dragged myself back out of it. That's what she needs to do. She doesn't need me. I don't need to go.

But what if she does?

My hands knot themselves in my hair. I can't  _not_  go back and risk something like this happening again. Her life is too precious to risk like that.

I can't decide right now. I'll sleep on it. I stare at my bed. I can't just go asleep like this. I don't have work tomorrow. I can just go have a few drinks, maybe that will help me sleep better.

So naturally, I go to the gay club and have more than a few drinks.

I wake up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed, not an unusual occurrence. I move out of the bed very slowly, as to not wake the girl next to me. I try to remember her name, but I'm drawing a blank. There was a  _k_  sound somewhere in it, I think. I throw on my entirely black outfit on, with the help of the sunlight coming into the room from the edges of the curtains. I sneak out of the bedroom and close the door behind me gently. I hold my shoes in my hand as I walk through the living space. I spot a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. I put my black boots on before grabbing an apple.  _Yukari_. I think that was her name. That name's pretty close to Yuuka's, now that I think about it. I'm about to reach for the handle on the front door when I hear another door open.

"Going so soon?" My  _partner_  from last night walks into the living space. She's thrown on an oversized nightdress for modesty. I instantly freeze. I could have sworn that I was looking at Yuuka herself. Of course, she doesn't look exactly like her, but enough that I do a double take. The sandy blonde hair is the same. She's pale, but not alarmingly so like Yuuka. The eyes are the one thing that stop me from going crazy. They're brown, not magenta.

"Yeah, I have to go." My hand reaches for the handle, and I open the door. "You have my number. Goodbye have a nice day."

"But wait-" I slam the door behind me and exhale deeply. I just focus on getting out of the apartment building. When I'm on the bus back home, it hits me.

The girl must have looked just like Yuuka under the lights of the gay club. I was so drunk by the time I meet her that I barely remember it. What does that say about me? Reika was right. I'm not over Yuuka, and I doubt I will ever be.

It's then that I decide.

I'm going back to Neo Domino. Maybe I am going for myself, but I'm going for Yuuka too. I've been where she is now. I can help her.

I call my job. While they're very understanding of the situation, my last shift is tomorrow. It gives me time to pack, I suppose. The landlord just asks that I leave the key under the mat on the way out.

It's probably the adrenaline rushing through my veins, but I'm excited. At least until I remember that it's very likely that I will have to face Raiden at some point. I continue regardless.

I get the first train back. It's very early in the morning, so I manage to sleep for a while. Once again, I run my thumb over my red velvet choker for comfort. This time, I have a smile on my face. I put the choker back on once I get into Neo Domino City Central.

Reika's waiting just outside the ticket barriers for me. She runs towards me as soon as I get through them. She practically jumps at me, knocking over my suitcase. She starts crying, which makes it harder to hold back my tears. I tell her that I'm wearing a shit ton of makeup and I don't need to cry right now. This makes her laugh but doesn't stop the tears.

It's already dark outside. Reika pays for our taxi. She sighs and makes the taxi driver drop me off in front of my old apartment block.

"She was out today, but she should be home by now," is all she says. I understand immediately and get out of the taxi. I suppose I'll just walk to Reika's house later. Her mother's kind enough to let me stay there until I find a place of my own again.

Luckily, someone's walking into the apartment complex just as I walk up to it. They hold the gate open for me. I walk the familiar path up to apartment number five. I see light coming from underneath the door.

"In order to leave Black Flag, I have to get Raiden to agree. And that's the problem." I hear Yuuka's voice from the other side of the door, and I freeze. She's so close, I can't freeze up now. Maybe she needs my help more than I think. I could help her leave, I've done it before. Maybe we could run to a different city together this time. It would be easy.

All I have to do is knock, and I do it. All chatter in the room disappears in an instant. The door slowly opens.

"Oh great, you're still living here!" I burst out with even though I knew it with certainty. Yuuka stares at me, wide eyed and confused. I give her a subtle look up and down. She's changed since I left. She's grown taller so we're the same height. She's no longer scrawny, she's looking very thick and it's not just her muscular arms. "Damn, you've matured like a fine wine." I say while leaning on the doorway. I want to slap myself in the face. I've been here  _maybe_  ten seconds and I already look like a creep. Yuuka moved in here after I left. I shouldn't know that she's here from her point of view. Dear gods, I did not think this through. Yuuka looks back to Shinji, as if she's pleading for help. In that exact moment, I regret my entire existence up until now.

"So Anako..." Yuuka speaks for the first time. Her voice is exactly as I remembered it. "What?"

"Well, I'm back in town so I thought I'd drop into to see my favourite girl." To continue this train wreck of a moment, I fucking wink at her. It's then I notice the bags under her eyes. Actually, I think the bags have bags underneath them. "Oh, I see you have company. Hi Shinji!" I make my eyes as wide as possible, giving Shinji the cue to help me as I wave. He looks very surprised to me, which means Reika hasn't told him that I was coming back. Did he even know that Reika has been talking to me consistently for the last year and a half?

"Would you like to come in?" Her face becomes unreadable, just like her aura. She shivers, just as there's a draft. I nod as move quickly so she can close the door. Just as she closes the door, I notice someone on the bed beside Shinji. Yuuka was blocking my view of him. The resemblance between this guy and Yuuka is uncanny. This must be her brother. What was his name again? I scan my brain quickly. Kaoru, that was it.

"Oh, is this your brother? You both have  _some_  gene pool." I chuckle. Though I must admit, Kaoru isn't nearly as attractive as his sister. Especially now that she's grown up a bit more, the lean muscular look suits her very well.

"What are you doing here?" Yuuka asks tentatively as we both sit on the ground. I end up sitting between Yuuka and Kaoru.

"Well, I thought it was time I came back to the City. It's just been so long, y'know?" I come up with a lie. I don't want to burst out with  _you just tried to kill yourself the other day so now I'm here_. "How's Raiden?" She flinches. Reika mentioned that she does that a lot now.

"Oh, you haven't seen him yet?" She replies.

"Oh, of course, I mean, he was kind of the reason I left in the first place. I mean, how awkward would that be? Oh hey, I know we broke it off suddenly when I left because I couldn't deal with your bull anymore, but how are you doing?" I look at everyone. It's then I realise that no one really knows  _why_  I left. "Why, is there something going on now?"

"Oh no." Yuuka's eyes shift between Shinji and I, which tells me she's lying. Well actually, I know she's lying. She's thinking of leaving Black Flag, and Raiden's not going to like that. "It's just that he's been in a bit of a mood lately. So, you should probably leave it a few days, if you want to go see him I mean."

"Oh okay." I respond, I don't press any further. "Just one question, why is your brother here? I thought you two weren't talking."

"Oh, we weren't. But, Kaoru's a psychic now, so I'm helping him control his powers."

"Aw, you're one of us now! Congratulations!" I notice myself sitting up a little straighter. I give him a big grin. It must be a very scary time for him, given what happened to his sister. I hope a smile makes him feel even a little bit better.

"Oh, thank you." He tries to meet my eyes, but they dart away at the last second.

"By the way, am I interrupting anything? You know, I just have this feeling and I wouldn't want to do that." I want Yuuka to include me in this, but I don't want to come out and say it. She'll think I was eavesdropping or something. If she's going to ask me, she'll do it now.

"No, you're not. We were just talking about helping Kaoru train to control his powers." She gives a fake smile to Shinji and Kaoru, getting them to play along. "Like today, I was trying to teach Kaoru how to meditate. That didn't go well at all."

 _Oh_.

"Would you know anything about that?" Kaoru asks me.

"Well, actually I do! I was the one who told Yuuka to meditate in the first place. So, I could help you out if you want." I would never have called Yuuka the teaching type. It would give me an excuse to get closer to Yuuka again. I didn't train her, maybe I could train her brother.

"That would be great, thank you." He manages to meet my eyes this time. It's strange, he reminds me of Yuuka when I first met her. He'll probably take a while to warm up to me, just like she did.

"Actually," I raise my hand to my face, "do you want to start tomorrow? Cause you're getting ready to graduate Duel Academy soon, aren't you? You'll need to be able to control your powers before final exams roll around."

"How did you figure  _that_ out?" He looks at me with wide eyes.

"I remember Yuuka said something about you starting school late, so you and her were in the same year when she went to Duel Academy." I see Yuuka turning to look at me rather sharply.

"Yeah, you're right." Kaoru turns and squints at Yuuka. There's a beat of silence as Yuuka and Kaoru stare at each other, as if they're silently communicating. I wonder if they're telepaths. It's then I notice how similar their auras are. They're practically identical. The only difference is that Yuuka's aura is stronger, which isn't surprising.

"So Anako, what have you been up to for the last year and a half?" Shinji speaks up for the first time since I've arrived. I notice that his eyebrows a little furrowed. I suspect Reika's in for a  _serious discussion_  once this is over.

"Well, I moved up north. I've been working two jobs and living in a bedsit, just like this one." I start to explain. I start telling him about this crazy woman who came into the convenience store last week. I know he relates to this story cause he's working in one. This woman went crazy when she thought the price that came up on the till was wrong. Turns out Shinji has a very similar story to tell. I get a few laughs out of Yuuka, which makes me happy. Kaoru just looks very confused, which seems to be a constant thing for him. Don't blame him, honestly.

Then, a phone on the kitchen counter begins to ring. Shinji glances at the name coming up as he hands it to Yuuka.

"Oh, it's getting late, we should get going." He says very suddenly as he stands up. He gives me and Kaoru a look, like he's telling me to leave too. I just got here, and he's making me  _leave_? Could it be Raiden calling? It's definitely Raiden calling. I get up, and I'm the first one out the door. Shinji thanks Yuuka for the food and he walks out of the apartment with a lunch box full of the stir fry they were just eating.

"What was that for?" Kaoru says as we make our way out of the apartment complex. "Who was so important that we had to leave?"

"Who'd you think?"

"Yusei?" "Raiden?" Kaoru and I ask in unison. We stare at each other. He's a lot more like Yuuka than I thought. They make the same facial expressions. They're also both very hard to read, at least right now.

"It was Yusei," Shinji answers. "Oh yeah, Yusei and Yuuka went through a bit of a  _rough time_  recently. They're trying to patch things up, so I figured it was best to let them do that in peace."

"I suppose that's fair," I sigh. Our eyes meet, and Shinji's face falls slowly. Did he just realise that I'm still into Yuuka?

"Do you know how to get home from here?" Shinji turns his attention to Kaoru instead.

"Yeah," he answers. "The train's not far from here, isn't it?"

"Ten minutes, that way." Shinji points at the next turn right, which would take him straight to the Daimon Area. "We're going right here, so."

"Hey Anako, can we swap numbers?" Kaoru suddenly gets very flustered since he's realised what he just said. "You know, since we're training tomorrow. We're still doing that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." I chuckle. I take my phone out of my jacket pocket, only to realise that it's dead. "Here, give me your phone. Mine's dead. Got the first train this morning and haven't charged it since before I left." He fumbles to get his phone out and hands it to me. I accidently go into his messages, only to see that he's texted four people in the last few weeks. Two of them he's related to, Yuuka and his mother, one of them is Shinji, and the last is a girl that I don't know. Geez, this kid is lonely. I enter in my number and put training in brackets after my name, so he doesn't forget who I am. Not that I doubt he will. "There you go."

"Thank you for this," he says with earnest.

"Don't worry about it." I put a hand on his arm. He flinches for a second before relaxing. "Stay safe in these parts, okay? Text me when you get home."

"Yeah, stay safe buddy." Shinji waves, in typical bro fashion. Kaoru leaves without much more than a mumbled goodbye and a nod. "You're heading to Reika's, I assume?" Shinji's facial expression is uncharacteristically cold, he almost looks like Raiden.

"Yeah, did she tell you?"

"No," he says bluntly as we start to walk for the bus.

"I asked her not to tell you." I sigh. "Be angry with me, and not with her."

"Why did you leave then?"

"Raiden."

"Care to explain?"

"He went down a dark path, and I couldn't follow. He kicked me out and told me to leave the City, so I did." I turn to look at him. His face has softened. I can see the sympathy appearing on his face. "I didn't tell you because I was worried that Raiden would somehow get it out of you, and he would find me. I feared for my life the night I ran away. I knew if I was in contact with you, I'd be fearing for your life too. The only reason I was in contact with Reika was because… she's Reika. I think she would have tracked me down and beaten my ass if I didn't stay in contact."

"You're right about that," he laughs. "I just wished you have told me you were okay or given me some warning that you were leaving."

"I should have, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just don't leave again."

"I think I'm staying, buddy, for better or for worse." We both laugh, and it clouds the air in front of us as we walk. The laughter fades away, until there's nothing but silence.

"Why did you really come back?" Our eyes meet, and I can't bear to look away. "You gave the fakest reason I've ever heard. If you disappeared because you were forced out, you wouldn't have come back for nothing."

"Reika told me what happened with Yuuka the other day, and everything before that." I bite my lip. I see Shinji's eyes glaze over slightly. "I just had to come back."

"Do you still…?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "I never really got over her."

"Oh," is all he says. I think Yuuka is at the same point with Raiden as I was all that time ago. Not quite dating, but too close to claim it's nothing. I only hope she gets to leave okay. I'd run away with her, happily.

The bus pulls up to the stop, and we get on. We sit in silence all the way to Reika's house. The bus stop is only a few minutes from her house, which is handy. It also means there's less awkward silence.

Reika opens the door with a guilty face. She lets us in and closes the door gently behind us. I imagine it's quite late, and that her mother's gone to bed already.

"I'll let you two talk." I say, taking my suitcase from where it is beside the door. List of possible topics include me, Kaoru, Yuuka leaving Black Flag, Raiden, and Yuuka in general. "Spare room?" I ask Reika, I'm familiar enough with her house at this point to know.

"Yeah, I'll talk to you in the morning." I navigate to the smallest room in the upstairs of the house. I leave the suitcase at the end of the bed and throw my jacket beside the bedside locker. I change into pyjamas quickly and slip inside the bed. As much as I'd like to overthink my interaction with Yuuka, I can't help but instantly succumb to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The oneshot is so long, it's getting split into three parts. Stay tuned for more!


	4. Another Suitcase In Another Hall II

_Anako_

* * *

Shinji and Reika seem to be doing okay in the morning, which makes me feel better. Shinji seemed to take the whole  _me disappearing for a year and a half without explanation, while only being in contact with Reika_  thing pretty well.

"So, you're going to help Kaoru control his powers?" Reika asks as she's making us all breakfast.

"Yeah, he seems like a good kid." I swirl my coffee with a spoon absentmindedly. "He has exams coming up in school, so I figured I'd help. He's only got Yuuka, and she's not exactly the best at explaining things, is she?"

"You do have a point," Reika hums. "It just seems weird that you'd offer to do that right out of the gate."

"She's probably doing it to get close to Yuuka." Shinji raises an eyebrow at me from where's he standing, beside Reika at the stove. Reika turns to look at me. She makes a face like that's the most reasonable explanation there is. It's the right one, but I'm not letting them know that.

"What?" I frown. "Am I not allowed to do something nice for someone else without it being suspicious?"

"We didn't say  _that_ ," Reika shrugs her shoulders.

"Your face is red." Shinji points out, which only makes my cheeks feel warmer. "I think I just hit the nail on the head."

I look down at the kitchen table, just to avoid those two altogether. It's then that I notice notification pop up on my screen.

_Hey, what time are you free at today? Also, where do you want to do the whole training thing? Yuuka brought me to a spot in the park yesterday, but it's too cold for that today. Any ideas? -Kaoru_

Yuuka really is immune to the cold, she told me once that it's just an effect of her growing up in the Satellite. She walks around in winter in skirts with no jacket and be completely fine. But where to train him? Normally, I just would have used somewhere around Black Flag. But now, that's not really an option.

"Do you two know somewhere I could train Kaoru?"

"I mean, you two can use the living room if you want. Both Shinji and I are in work today, so there's that."

"You sure?" She doesn't turn to look at me, but she nods. "Thanks." I text Kaoru this and include Reika's address.

It works out that Kaoru arrives before Shinji and Reika leave for work. We sit around chatting for a while, because Kaoru looks very nervous. We all head into the living room. Reika gets Shinji to move the coffee table, so we're able to sit on the rug in the middle of the room.

"So, tell me exactly what Yuuka did with you yesterday?" This is a start, I guess.

"Well, she just got me to try meditating." He sighs. "I'm very not good at it though."

"Don't worry about it." I reassure him. "Meditation isn't the only solution. What works for Yuuka mightn't work for you. You have the same aura, but that shouldn't affect this much. In case you're wondering, dueling really isn't a part of trying to control your powers. I mean, they're how you know if your control is strong enough, but that's a whole different thing."

"Then what are we doing to do?" Kaoru's brows are furrowed slightly. He's very impatient.

"Well, nobody really understands what an aura is." I begin to explain. "The best way to explain it is like… a psychic's energy. Close your eyes for me." He does as I say. "Can you feel something different about me? Compared to Reika, let's just say. Reika makes eye contact with me from where she is on the couch. The look in her eyes are telling me that she just wanted to be a silent observer, which she will be.

"Yeah, I can feel it."

"What does it feel like?" There's a pause.

"It sounds weird, but like… beach waves? Does that make sense? You know the little ones, just like little ripples."

"I get you," I chuckle. "That's what an aura is. Every psychic has one, you'll be able to tell who's a psychic or not quite easily. Can you feel your own aura? What does it feel like?"

"Static electricity," he replies so quickly that I think he already knew the answer. "I feel like it's concentrated in my chest and hands."

"Interesting," I begin. "I've never heard anyone say their hands. The chest and head are the most common places. Don't worry, it doesn't really mean anything." There's silence. His eyes are still closed. "Take a deep breath for me. In… and out." I continue to repeat that over and over, until I feel his aura calm. Reika's watching us with intent eyes from the couch. Shinji has his arm thrown around her shoulder and is scrolling on his phone. It's weird that they're dating now. I mean they were on the cusp of it for a long time, but it finally happened after I left.

"Now, draw that energy from your hands and chest. Let it spread around your body. Moving into your abdomen, your legs and your feet." He exhales deeply. "As it spreads, you should feel the pressure lighten. You're not getting any stronger or weaker. That power inside you is just redistributing itself. Do you feel it?"

"I do," he nods slightly.

"Okay, open your eyes." His eyes open very slowly, almost like he just woke up. "That's what it should feel like. It looks like you were approaching that meditating state."

"Did it?" He blinks in surprise.

"Yeah," I nod. "That feeling you had is what it should be like. Maybe this isn't exactly how it works, but it seems like it. When that energy is condensed in your chest, or wherever, it tends to expel itself in one go, and that's when you do damage. At least, that's how I feel, and other people agree with me. Having that energy spread out through your body will stop it coming out in big bursts. Does that make sense?"

"It does actually." I can hear the hint of surprise in his voice. That makes me smile.

I spend the rest of the day trying to help him meditate. He manages to last a few minutes in the state before snapping out of it again. I ask him how he feels at the end of the day.  _Tired_  is how he answers. There is really no doubt that he's Yuuka's brother. His real answer is that the energy in his chest doesn't feel as tight. He doesn't get the joke when I ask if he suffers from heartburn.

"Is your sister going out with anyone?" I ask suddenly as he's getting ready to leave. "No one seems to know the answer. I figure you'd know, cause telepathy." I know this as fact now. I asked Kaoru if he has noticed any other powers outside of materialisation, it's not uncommon after all. He told me about the telepathy. It's only with Yuuka, and vice versa. I'm confused as to why, since telepathy would normally mean all psychics.

"Don't think so." He scratches the back of his neck. "There's the thing going on with Raiden, but I don't think it's official."

"Yeah, I heard about that."

"You're not mad about that?" He raises an eyebrow. "I thought you were going out with him before…"

"Wasn't official either," I answer. "I just think there are better people out there for your sister than him. You haven't met him yet, right? He's an absolute asshole, I don't recommend meeting him."

"Like who?" He asks, and I feel my eyes widen. "Cause if someone asks about someone else's relationship status, that means they're interested in them." I gulp. "Apparently."

"Well-"

"You like my sister, don't you?" He really just came out and asked that.

"Well, Kaoru," I sigh, "I'm not going to lie to you." I say nothing more and keep my eyes focused on a spot just over his shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes." I feel the heat in my cheeks. "I mean, out of everyone that could potentially date my sister, you're probably the best."

"Me?" I put my hands to my burning cheeks.

"Yeah," he shrugs his shoulders. "You seem genuinely nice and caring, that's always good in a person." Kaoru scratches the back of his head and glances away. Despite being pretty much the male version of Yuuka, Kaoru has got his own charm. "I-I should get going."

"You're right, you probably have homework to catch up on." He nods curtly. "At least Christmas break is coming up soon." Kaoru leaves after that without much of a goodbye. He certainly is a strange one.

Kaoru's pretty cute, I think to myself. But do I think he's cute based on his own merits, or because he looks so much like Yuuka? I suppose he's a good backup if things don't work out with Yuuka. I start to chuckle, then I stop. Could I even go with a guy again? I shudder and push that thought to the back of my mind. That's not the first time I've thought that. That question is only becoming more and more frequent in my mind.

I sit on the couch and watch television with Reika's mom, who comes back from bingo not long after Kaoru leaves, until Reika comes home from work.

* * *

Kaoru tells me that he's busy the next day. Considering that Shinji is also busy, I know that he's really helping Yuuka leave Black Flag.

Shinji comes back to Reika's house late in the evening, covered in dust with blood smeared on his clothes. Reika nearly knocks over the kitchen chair when she stands up.

"It's not my blood," he reassures.

"Is Yuuka okay?" are the next words out of her mouth.

"I take it that Raiden didn't take too kindly to you leaving," I say. Shinji stares at me for a second, then he peels his jacket off.

"Oh no, he had no problem with me leaving." He hangs his head. "Yuuka, on the other hand. He dueled her. He was using his powers, and he brought down the entire Black Flag base. We were outside of the base when it happened. Yuuka barely escaped. She was bleeding heavily. Kaoru called an ambulance. They took her in. She's been in and out of surgery already. She should be fine. Kaoru's still up in the hospital now."

"Dear gods," Reika says, moving to sit back down in the chair. Shinji sits down beside her. There's a silence hanging in the air.

At least she's okay, I repeat to myself.

The next day, she still hasn't woken up.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

Shinji makes me defend the remaining Black Flag territory with him. It's easy, I just form a barrier and shoot attacks out from behind it. The territory shrinks, but it's still there. We know for definite that Raiden's vanished. That's why everyone suddenly swarmed the territory. That makes Yuuka the leader now, doesn't it? She can't do much from a hospital bed.

On the sixth day, I go up to visit her. I wait for a time that I can go by myself. There's two people, the maximum number of visitors at one time, in the room already, so I have to wait until they come back down.

Two guys walk into the lobby and sign the visitors book. I recognise their faces from a gang. Onyx Slicers.

"Do you think she'll get the flower language?" The taller blond asks.

"She's not as stupid as she acts, Takumi." The smaller dark skinned boy sighs. "Yuuka knows that revolution is coming."

The nurse comes over to tell me to go up, and to sign the visitors book.  _Takumi_? I know that name. Shinji's mentioned him a few times. I think he's involved in gangs somehow. But why is he here and what's this revolution?

I walk into Yuuka's hospital room. A private room, so it's just her. No doubt it's because of Yuuka's family, they're filthy rich by the sounds of it.

She looks so much paler than normal, especially when she's surrounded by the pure white of the room. I notice all of her cuts on her body. Most of them have healed, only leaving small scars which will probably disappear soon. Thick bandages are still wrapped around her head and torso. I take a seat in the chair beside the bed. I notice the big bouquet of blue flowers beside the bed, only now because I was too busy looking at Yuuka. Flower language. I look it up on my phone and try to figure out what the type of flower is. Going by the picture online, I'm going to say that they're Morning Glories and the meaning is  _wilful promise_. That's such a strange meaning. A revolution and a promise? Is this revolution the real reason she left Black Flag?

Yuuka lies in the bed motionless. Sometimes, I become uncertain that she's still alive and then her fingers twitch. The experience is very mind numbing. Looking at her lying in a hospital bed is bringing no emotions out in me. I just feel… numb. I want to take her away from here, I know she hates hospitals. I place my hand on top of hers. I try to feel for her aura, but it's faint. It spikes every time that her hand twitches. Is she dreaming, I wonder. I've heard that happens when people are in comas.

According to Shinji, there is nothing wrong with her. No severe internal damage, no brain injuries, no fractures. Just some cuts and bruises. Yet, she still won't wake up. The doctors are saying that it could be stemming from the trauma. She had tried to kill herself a week before that building collapsed on her. I suppose that's trauma enough. Or maybe it's something more. No one knows what really happened to her in the Satellite, aside from her and Yusei.

I squeeze her hand and pray that she'll wake up. I press a kiss to her forehead. Maybe that's as close as I'll ever get. The thought crosses my head. I hope not, but still it's a possibility. I try not to think about it and let myself dream.

I go to leave, but the door opens before I reach the handle. Yusei Fudo, I recognise him in an instant. Not hard when his face was plastered everywhere for weeks, even months.

"Oh hey," I mutter.

"Hey," he replies. The awkwardness of that exact moment is so strong, I swear it was tangible. "Did you bring those flowers?"

"Oh no, they were there when I got here." I shake my head. "Nice flowers though." I don't bring up Takumi Chiba. I get the feeling that no one was supposed to know about their visit.

"Yeah, they are." He nods slowly.

"See you." He barely replies before I'm out in the hallway with the door closed behind me.  _You might have some competition when it comes to Yuuka_ , Shinji once said to me and it's starting to make sense. I start walking through the hallways and back outside, signing the visitor book on the way out. I purposely take the long way back to Reika's house, taking in the cold December air.

* * *

Yuuka has been kicked out of her apartment and lost her job in the boutique. Not only that, since Raiden abandoned ship, she's also now the leader of Black Flag. To be keep her safe while she recovers, she's staying with her friends from the Satellite, which include Yusei. Every time Shinji brings up Yusei, I can't help but feel jealous. He talks about him like he's the one most worried about Yuuka, like he's the one who matters most here besides Yuuka herself.

Once Shinji break that news to her, she said that she was planning to give the title to Yuudai. I point out that  _Yuudai_  was the kid who died on Cardinal Dragon territory. Shinji tells me that there was someone else with that name. He makes a face but says no more.

Kaoru tells me the day that Yuuka is moving her stuff from the old apartment. I hang around, just to see her. I tried to invite her to Christmas at Reika's house, but I couldn't get the words out. Her friend just glanced at me every few seconds like I was wasting their time. I wasn't wasting her time, right? No, we're friends with the possibility to become more. I want it to become more, but I don't know if she does.

"What's your sister doing for Christmas?" I ask Kaoru at the next training session after that.

"Having dinner at Yusei's place, with all their friends. Our mom's going away for Christmas, so she invited me over."

"Would I know anyone else?" I press.

"It's mostly Yusei's friends, I think. None of Yuuka's other friends are going."

"Are you implying that she has friends other than us?" And by us, I mean Shinji, Reika and I.

"Well, you probably don't know Takumi and Kenta." My head perks up.

"Not really, did you meet them?"

"Oh yeah, we ran into them the other day." Oh yeah, I doubt it was accidental considering he cancelled one of our weekend slots for it. He didn't say it outright, and his excuse seemed flimsy at best.

"What do you think of them?" I ask, seeing if I can get Kaoru to spill the beans. It must have something to do with that revolution. Yuuka must dragging Kaoru into it because of their telepathy, a useful tool I must admit. Note to self, teach Kaoru the best way to defend yourself from a psychic.

"I mean, Takumi's pretty good looking." His eyes widen all of a sudden. "Not that I'm gay or anything."

"Gotcha," I answer. Kaoru's at least a little gay, good to know. I remember I used to be like that, then I stopped lying to myself.

"Do you want to go for food?" He asks at the end of the session. "I'm absolutely starving."

"Sure," I answer.

"One thing," he interjects. "My friend Emiko might be joining us, is that okay?"

"Your school friend? Yeah, that's fine." The way he describes her makes it seem like that they're practically dating, but Kaoru seems oblivious to it. Apparently, Emiko was there when he met up with Yuuka again. Which somehow led Emiko to becoming good friends with Shinji suddenly. It's very confusing, especially considering that I haven't actually met her yet.

We head further into the City from Reika's house in the suburbs. We find a small cafe, called Melon Jelly, on a side street. Kaoru says that's a regular place for him to go, since it's small, quiet and out of the way. We walk into the cafe. I notice the rainbow pride flag draped on the back wall, just seeing it warms my heart. My eyes go from the flag on the wall to the table nearest to it. A girl, sitting by herself at a table for four, shifts in her seat when she notices us. A waiter comes up to us, but Kaoru tells him that his friend already grabbed a table. Kaoru leads me to the same table.

"Emiko, this is Anako." He introduces me as soon as we approach the table. "Anako, Emiko." Emiko has very tanned skin with dark hair, and striking gold eyes. I find it hard to believe that Emiko is Kaoru's age, she looks at least four years younger than him. Yet, I know for a fact that she's one year below him in school and two years younger than him.

"It's good to finally meet you." She looks like she's going to hand my shake but stops at the last second. I'm trying to tell if the smile on her face is genuine, but I'm getting nothing from her. Kaoru gestures for me to sit across from Emiko, so I do, albeit a little confused. I expect him to sit down beside Emiko, and apparently she did too, because her face falls when he sits down beside me. "Especially since you've been helping Kaoru _so much_  lately." I notice a hint of venom in her words.

"Yeah, you too." I nod, pretending the venom wasn't there. "I've heard a lot about you." This seems to put her at ease. I notice her stealing glances at Kaoru.

Kaoru does most of the talking. He talks about his training. Emiko seems to ask him all of the questions, even about the spiritual side of things. You think she would have asked  _me_ , considering I'm the one who's teaching him this, but no. She's cute, so I let it slide  _for now_. The conversation topic moves to school and their exams after the Christmas break, so I just absentmindedly stir my caramel macchiato.

Our food arrives, so the conversation slows down a little. I notice that Emiko never directly talks to me. If she ever looks at me, it's a cold gaze. Yet somehow, whenever her attention is directed towards Kaoru, she's a ray of sunshine. It's quite easy to see what's going on here.

Emiko is jealous of me, and it's completely obvious.

Kaoru doesn't seem to get it. I don't think he gets a lot of things, bless him. Once the lunch is over, Emiko is quick to drag Kaoru out of the cafe. She even pays for our whole table in an attempt to get out quicker. She  _conveniently_ forgets to invite me. Kaoru goes to point it out, but I shake my head.

If she's just going to hate me, I don't want to spend my time around her. Regardless of how cute she is.

* * *

Yuuka and I have, surprisingly, been texting a lot, despite how little I see her in person. It's mostly small talk. She's a lot more closed off than she was before. It's hard to get her to open up in any meaningful way. She won't talk about what happened to her after I left the City. Anything from that time, not just her time in the Satellite which no one seems to know about. She says it was just a big misunderstanding, and it's all cleared up now. She always diverts her attention to the book she's reading. Emiko apparently just throws books at her and she reads them. I start reading, just so we have something in common. Then, I finish five books in two weeks  _on top_  of my new job of answering calls for a psychic helpline.

She's so secretive, and it hurts me. I want her to open up to me. I want to exchange the more hidden parts of ourselves and understand each other. But sometimes, it's like talking to a brick wall. Why won't she open up to me? If only she knew how I felt.

Kaoru definitely knows, which makes me question how Yuuka doesn't because of the telepathy thing. Kaoru says that Yuuka doesn't intrude on his thoughts unless there's a reason to, something Kaoru doesn't reciprocate. He's a surprisingly good wingman. He makes it so that I accidentally run into Kaoru and Yuuka, or Yuuka runs into us. It's a very good arrangement. Yuuka is apparently hard to get a hold of lately, so I feel kind of lucky for once.

Shinji comes into Reika's house one day while I'm reading upside down on the couch. "She's in work." I say, as he sits down on the loveseat.

"I know, I'm here to talk to you." I raise my eyebrows, putting down my book and turning to sit the right way up. "It's about Yuuka."

"Yuuka?" Shinji nods, with a strange look in his eyes. "I want to ask your opinion on something."

"Go ahead," I say cautiously.

"So, Yuuka gave the leadership of Black Flag to some kid called Yuudai. Now, he's gone and formed Team Liberation. A group dedicated to taking down every gang in the City."

"Are you serious?" He nods again. "You'd call that a  _revolution_ , wouldn't you?"

"I suppose you would." Shinji tilts his head slightly. "You know something, don't you?"

"I have a suspicion." I sigh. "Keep talking, I'll tell you if it's relevant."

"Here's the thing about Yuudai." Shinji rests his elbows on his knees and leans forward. "It's true that the old Yuudai was murdered on Cardinal Dragons' territory-"

"By the Onyx Slicers." I finish. "Raiden didn't go after the Cardinal Dragons, but soon after, a hit was put on the leader of the Onyx Slicers. I doubt it was a coincidence." Shinji's face falls, but it hardens up again for him to continue.

" _That_  Yuudai was murdered. Just over a year ago, another Yuudai joined Black Flag. He went up in ranks very quickly, but he was very rarely seen by anyone. He went on a lot of recon missions for Raiden. People reckon that Raiden managed to nab him from another gang. I don't believe that."

"Why?"

"Let's put it this way. The very few times that I saw him, Yuuka couldn't be found anywhere."

"So Yuuka is the one  _liberating_  the City?"

"I think so," he nods solemnly. "I don't know what she's thinking."

"It wasn't her idea," I say slowly. Shinji raises an eyebrow. "Do you remember that a bouquet of blue flowers suddenly appeared in Yuuka's hospital room?" He nods. "I know who put it there. A blond guy, quite tall-"

"Takumi." Shinji says. "I knew it."

"You know him?"

"He's a friend of ours." He nods. "Turns out that he's the current leader of the Onyx Slicers." I gasp. I go to ask a hoard of questions, but Shinji keeps talking. "We met him before we knew that. Once we did, we manage to come to a truce between our two gangs."

"That's good at least. It means nothing now that they're taking down all the gangs."

"Admittedly, a few months ago, Takumi asked me about this idea of taking down all the gangs in the City." He explains. "I said no, because I knew I wanted to leave Black Flag. Yuuka hadn't made up her mind at the time. Then, a lot of stuff happened with Yuuka and I haven't talked about it to her since."

"So, what now?" I ask. "We know that Yuuka is leading Team Liberation, what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Shinji holds his head in his hands. "She'll deny everything if we bring it up to her. She's using that secret identity for a reason."

I think about bringing Kaoru up, but I stop myself at the last second. So, I just nod along.

I decide it's best for me to approach Kaoru myself. He's become comfortable around me, so he should tell me if I press him.

"How did you get those scars?" I ask as Kaoru takes his hoodie off for a session. I see the panic in his eyes, instantly regretting the simple action.

"Got jumped the other day, they didn't manage to steal anything." He says rather coolly. "I'm lucky Yuuka was there."

"Oh really? Was it someone from the Jackals?" He freezes. "I heard they got taken out the other day. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't." He doesn't blink at all for a few seconds. "No."

"So Yuuka introducing you to Takumi Chiba, the leader of the Onyx Slicers, wasn't a coincidence? It wasn't all of you planning some revolution,  _liberating_  the City or anything. You've never heard of Team Liberation?"

"How do you know that?" His face hardens slightly.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out." I don't tell him about Shinji also knowing, that's for another time.

"You're right about everything." He nods slowly. "I am part of Team Liberation. But don't get me wrong, I'm only doing this to protect Yuuka."

"I want to help you," I say earnestly.

"I don't think I can help." He refuses to meet my eyes. "Takumi only let me join them because Yuuka insisted. I don't think Takumi would listen to me."

"Then, I'll do what I can to help you." I sigh. "I don't know what I can do for you, but all you have to do is ask me."

"I will," he nods curtly.

* * *

Kaoru tells me about each gang encounter after it happens. After the leader of the Phantom Riders challenges  _Yuudai_  to a Riding Duel, Kaoru suddenly becomes inspired to pick it up himself. He goes out and spends a good portion of his savings on a new, sleek, black D-Wheel. Reika complains that she could have fixed up a used one for him and saved him a lot of money. But Kaoru, being from a wealthy family, seemed confused by that prospect. He starts going for lessons, which blows big holes in our regular training schedule. But dare I say, that he mightn't need them anymore. He had a dueling test in school, and didn't blow a hole in the ceiling, or materialise at all.

**Kaoru:** _Hey, going to that roller skating rink with Yuuka now. Maybe you could pop in?_

I'm so glad, in that exact moment, that I wasn't working. I wish he had told me in advance what day he was going, and when, because I have to suffer on the bus until I get there. Yuuka decided that Kaoru should go to the rink because he was suffering with his balance. I was surprised because I've never heard of that before, but also not, because it sounds exactly like an idea that Yuuka would come up with.

"Kaoru!" I call out to him once I enter the little spectator area outside the rink. As soon as I do, Emiko immediately leaves Kaoru's side, only to grab onto Yuuka's arm and practically drag her around the rink. Kaoru grips the edge of the rink. He's really expecting me to walk all the way around to him. "Hey, how's it going?"

"I don't know," he says as he keeps his iron grip on the rail. That really says it all.

"So, it's worth me paying the money then?"

"Oh yeah definitely." He nods, a little scared.

I realise, as I'm putting on the skates, that black skinny jeans mightn't be the best thing to wear for this activity. But I'm already here, so I'm just gonna go through with it. I come out into the rink. Kaoru is still going around the edge slowly by himself. Yuuka and Emiko are doing laps closer to the centre. I start to skate forward to Yuuka and Emiko. Just as I reach them, I somehow trip over my own feet. I fall forward, but I end up grabbing Yuuka's waist to keep me from falling. All three of us let out a shriek. Yuuka gives me her hand to steady myself, but I pull my hand back immediately after.

"There she is," I put that hand on my chest, "my favourite." Emiko says nothing and skates off, leaving Yuuka and I alone. I can't believe she honestly thinks that I'm here for Kaoru, it would make me laugh if I wasn't in public. Like I'd ever go out with a man again, ew. As soon as I realise what I've just thought, I suppress it.

"How are you doing?" Yuuka asks, as I link arms with her as Emiko did. We do laps of the rink together, overtaking Kaoru and Emiko in very little time.

"Pretty good. Been training a lot with Kaoru. He's gotten so good. I'd dare say he's better than you." Yuuka blinks in surprise and frowns. "But anyway, how have you been?"

"Okay, I guess." She sighs. "I've just had a lot going on. I need to go back to the gym. I've gotten very unfit since my accident, and it's starting to annoy me. I can't run as well as I used to. I kinda miss just going out for a jog."

"Oh, I get you." I completely understand. I stopped going to the gym when I moved up north, but at least I've started back. "I mean, you could always just come to the gym with me. I kind of need a gym buddy with me anyway. I lost touch with all of the friends I had before I moved away, so I'm kinda on my own now." It's true. Reika is my best friend, so I kept in contact with her. I was afraid to contact anyone else, and I suffered because of it. Shinji and Yuuka are the only people that I've gotten back in contact with.

"Yeah, I'll go with you eventually." She answers.

"Aw, that would be great, I'm looking forward to it." I give her an actual genuine smile. Just thinking about the friends that I've lost makes me sad, which is why I don't think about them. At least now that I've come back, I've gained Kaoru as a friend.

I've thought about how I could be of use to Team Liberation. I have the ability to change my aura. I can make myself  _feel_  like someone else. I brought up my idea to Kaoru. He thinks it's a good idea. I want to tell Yuuka that I can be useful, I've been practicing with Kaoru's help, but I don't want to tell her that I know she's the leader. If I drop the hint, maybe she'll understand.

"But if you need help with anything," I begin, "you can always ask me, right." I look her in the eye and change my aura. I feel it shift and grow, until I feel static in my fingertips. Her eyes widen. I shift my aura into Yuuka's. She shivers and stops in her tracks completely. I relax my aura, and it returns to normal. I think she knows what I was doing. I can only hope that she sees its use. I see Kaoru looking at us from the corner of my eye.

"Yeah," is all she says. She's clearly shaken by what I just did, so I slowly bring her around for more laps.

"So, what do you think of Kaoru's D-Wheel?" I change the conversation topic.

"It's really nice," she says. "It's black just like my soul."

"Oh my gods," I put on a fake surprised voice, "our souls match."

"No way!" She puts on an equally fake surprised voice. The two of us burst out laughing at that.

"I like it too, but I think I actually prefer your D-Wheel." I pout.

"It's because it's made with love," she nods with a smile on her face.

"Damn bitch, you're right." I chuckle. Reika made her D-Wheel look like her favourite ace monster,  _Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_. It's something that just makes her D-Wheel feel more personal. She has lightened up so much since we started talking about D-Wheels. It makes my heart flutter, honestly.

We keep talking as we make laps around the rink. I think we're at least twelve laps up on Kaoru and Emiko by the time he decides to call it quits. Yuuka's face falls once she's around Kaoru again. Does she blame my little stunt on him? Wait. Does she know that I know about Team Liberation? No, that's impossible.

Needless to say, despite how the skating may have helped Kaoru's balance, this was a bad experience considering no one's really looking at each other. Well, Emiko and I are looking at Kaoru and Yuuka, but that's about it.

* * *

There's radio silence on all fronts, from both Kaoru and Yuuka, for a few days. That is, until Kaoru calls me one evening.

"Don't panic," is the first thing he says. Not even a  _hello_.

"Meaning, this will cause you to panic, but don't."

"Yuuka is in hospital again-"

"Oh dear gods, what happened to her? Is she okay? Is she alive-" Kaoru's sigh cuts me off.

"She was taking a night ride on the highway, and someone challenged her to a duel. They caused real damage, and she crashed. From the looks of it, she has a concussion and she's pretty badly scraped, since she was just wearing a shirt and leggings when she crashed. At least she had her helmet on, cause her head was bleeding and she's pretty disorientated."

"But she'll be okay?"

"Yes." At that, I sigh in relief.

"But who?"

"She doesn't remember."

"Was it someone from a gang?" I ask.

"Probably," he responds. "There's someone else attacking people on the roads, but this accident doesn't feel like the other ones. They're writing it off as a Ghost attack, but I think otherwise."

"Me too." I hold my head in my hands. "It was mostly likely someone from a gang that you've already taken down. Maybe the Jackals, they're known to be pretty vicious."

"I'll keep an eye out," he says. There's a pause. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Yeah," I say even though I don't know what it is.

"Can you come to my house? I need to give you something." I hum, signally yes. "I'm on my way from the hospital, I can pick you up if you want."

"Please," I say. I know Reika's house isn't exactly the farthest from his house, but I'm just lazy.

Kaoru's silent from when he picks up until he pulls up into the garage. Their house is actually bigger than I imagined. Even what would be the tiny hallway is surprisingly roomy.

"I thought about your idea, making yourself appear as Yuuka with your aura." He starts going up the stairs, two steps at a time, so I do my best to keep up. "Now, that Yuuka might have to be on the sidelines for a while, I had an idea myself." Kaoru opens the door to a room, and judging by the rather feminine decor, I'm guessing that it's Yuuka. I stand beside the door, not waiting to intrude on her privacy, regardless of whether she's here or not. "This is what I have."

"A cape, a hoodie, and a mask?" I say as he shows me what he grabbed from Yuuka's room.

"They're  _Yuudai's_." My eyes widen, I look up at him for a better explanation. "I was thinking that, since you're the same height as Yuuka and you can change your aura to be like hers, you could fill in for her, should we need it."

"That…" I mutter, taking the mask, hoodie, and cape. "That could work."

"If we're really stuck, I'll make sure to call you." I nod, folding them up neatly. "Oh, also Yuuka thinks of everything and has spare versions of all of those, so she's unlikely to notice."

"That's good."

"Also, I don't think it's a good idea if you hang around too long. If my mother sees you here, she will not leave you alone until she learns what you want with me and your entire life story. She's up in the hospital still, and I don't know when she's coming home."

"Good point," I raise my eyebrows in a  _yikes_  fashion. "Right, I'll see you later." I say once Kaoru's walked me to the front door.

"Have fun at work later," he says.

"I'll try my best."

* * *

**Kaoru:**   _Hey, want to go to the Daimon Area and check up on Yuuka? He's tracking down the dickhead who make her crash, make sure she doesn't get hurt again. Also bring a duel disk, just in case._

I borrow Reika's duel disk, since I left my old one behind when I left the City. A crowd begins to disperse in the centre of the Area when I arrive. I see Yuuka talking to someone on the ground. Then, I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I listen to my instincts and I start running. I look behind me. I see a dragon on a rooftop, and it's moving to attack.

I put everything in summoning Chaos Goddess, my ace monster. I will my monster to appear beside Yuuka. It shields her from the dark energy that was spiralling towards her. I reach her just as the smoke starts to clear. I look back at that rooftop.

Dark End Dragon.

That's Raiden's ace monster. Is it possible? He left the City, he ran away. How could he be here? I meet Yuuka's eyes, and they're just as wide as mine.

"Stop trying to kill my best friend!" Takumi yells at the dude on the ground, who I assume is Yuuka's attacker.

"I swear it wasn't me, this time." He scoffs.

"He's right," I say. "That monster. It could only belong to…"

"Raiden." Yuuka finishes.

"Raiden?!" Takumi freezes, looking between both of us. There's a wild look in his eyes. Meanwhile, Yuuka's turned alarmingly pale. To be fair, the last time she saw Raiden he did try to murder her.

"It has to be. Who else could it be?" I ponder. It's Raiden. I look at Yuuka to see if she has an answer, but she's just staring at the roof, from which both the psychic and dragon have vanished. "Can you get a good read on the aura?" I ask her. "I'm not strong enough to read it from this far away."

"I don't know," she mutters. Her eyes dart all over the place. Is she doubting herself? She's only making me more convinced that it's Raiden.

"I've never met the guy, so I couldn't tell you either." Yuuka's attacker says out of the blue. I turn and glare at him. I don't appreciate his sarcasm right now. "But I mean…" he continues, "It's just Dark End Dragon. Surely that could be any given psychic, it's not exactly an uncommon card."

"But that's just it!" I argue. "That's something Raiden would do. Completely anonymous."

"I trust Yuuka's instinct." Takumi interjects, even though Yuuka give a definite answer.

"I don't know," she says. "It could be anyone, but still…" Her eyes stare at the rooftop. It has to be Raiden. Who else would attack her in broad daylight like that? Yuuka's attacker found her by her aura on a highway at four in the morning. This was a deliberate attack, while she's already weakened.

And that's exactly something Raiden would do.

Make a deliberate attack, and then take advantage of that weakness. He's done it before in Black Flag, and he'll do it again now.

"Come on," Takumi puts a hand on Yuuka's arm. "Let's get you home." Yuuka barely nods. Takumi turns to look at Yuuka's attacker. "If you even think of trying anything again, I'll come after you myself." He doesn't even look at me. He leads Yuuka away, without as much as a goodbye.

Could it be that Raiden's back? I want to say that it's impossible, because he left the City. But I came back, and so could he. And he's going for Yuuka. That's what scares me. He nearly killed her the first time, who's to say that he won't finish the job this time? Or that his attention won't turn to me, and get rid of me once and for all?

* * *

All of sudden, Shinji starts talking about the WRGP, the big Riding Duel tournament they announced a few months ago. Knowing Shinji the way I do, that means he's planning a team for it. The WRGP is different from other Riding Duel tournaments. Two teams of three enter. Then, they duel by one-on-one, and when a duelist loses, they leave the cards on their field to the next person in their team.

He tries to make Reika form a team with him. I know this because she was complaining about it to me. Reika's not the best duelist, and she knows this. Besides, dueling in front of a big crowd would give her unimaginable anxiety, and she doesn't want or need that.

Shinji's eye then turns to Kaoru and his shiny new D-Wheel. He says yes, I know that. That's two out of three.

Then he asks me.

I was surprised by this. Mainly because I haven't dueled in two years. Then I realise it  _has_  been two years since I first left the City. And Shinji knows this.

"Yuuka actually suggested that I ask you." There we go. "Don't give me that face. I didn't even know that you still liked dueling."

"I've been a little too busy to duel." It's actually true.

"But do you want to join us?"

"Yeah, I'm up for it." Shinji fist bumps me in response.

"Now that means we have four members, but that just means that someone has to sit out during the match. I suppose we could just take turns-"

"Hold on," I interrupt him. "What do you mean  _four_? I thought Reika said no." Shinji flinches. "Don't tell me. Please tell me that Emiko  _isn't_  on our team."

"Well, I'm not going to say that she's  _not_ on the team."

"Shinji-"

"Listen, she's very talented." I raise my eyebrows as he tries to rationalise me being on a team with a person who hates me. "She's fourth in her year in a  _dueling_  school. Not including her could work against us."

"Then why do you need me? You already have three." I huff.

"Listen, I'm gonna be the bench warmer and not you." Shinji sighs. "You're a better duelist than I am. You, Kaoru and Emiko would make a great team."

"But-"

"I'm sure Kaoru will be very disappointed when he finds out that you didn't join our team because you won't play nice for once in your life."

"I can't say no now!"

"Exactly," he says with a shit eating grin.

Reika picks our team name. Team Delta, after the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet because there's four of us on the team. I argue that there's five since Reika is our pit crew, but no one listens. Emiko rolls her eyes whenever I speak. Kaoru better appreciate what I'm doing for him.

* * *

**Kaoru:** _By the way, the WRGP Premiere Party is this Saturday. You'll need something nice to wear._

**Anako:** _Are you kidding me?_

**Kaoru:**   _If it helps, I just told Emiko now too._

Oh yes, very helpful. What would make me happier than shopping with Emiko?

Finding Yuuka wandering around, clearly looking for a dress.

I start to panic. I pick out the first red thing I find, a short turtleneck dress made from a stretchy material. The red would go nice with her complexation, and her eyes.

"Is this what you're looking for?" I hold up the dress to her. She jumps slightly, looking up at me. "No? Alright then." I put the dress back on the rack further down.

"Ah no," she interjects, "that's a really nice dress. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Gave you a fright, didn't I?" I chuckle, realising that I actually surprised her. She must have been deep in thought, since she didn't even feel my aura.

"You did," she smiles. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," I smile back. "And you? Trusting you haven't attacked by more psychics."

"No, I haven't been attacked, thankfully. So, I'm doing better than before." I laugh and play with my hair. That's when I realise that just her presence is making me nervous.

"That's good," I respond. "You've had a rough time recently."

"I have." Her eyes widen as she shakes her head.

"I heard Shinji asked you to be on his WRGP team."

"Yeah," she nods. "I said no though."

"Oh," I know she said no but it's still disappointing. "He asked me too."

"What did you say?" Yuuka asks as she begins to look at the racks of clothes beside us. She picks up the dress that I picked out for her.

"I said yes," I say as I rub the back of my neck.

"You should be a lot happier," she says, "considering Kaoru is on the same team and all." She grins at me like she knows something that I don't.

"Oh yeah, I guess." Hold on, she thinks that I like Kaoru, doesn't she? Why does everyone think that? I mean, sure he's great, but  _no_.

"Oh, hey Anako." I have to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Emiko's voice is just about as flat as her chest. Her eyes narrow as she looks at the dress that's Yuuka holding, and then to me. I notice the pile of dresses that she's carrying in her arms, and the bag from the expensive boutique upstairs. She was picking dresses out for Yuuka, and I found one that she actually likes. Jealousy will really be her own downfall.

"Hi Emiko," I respond. I have to be nice for Kaoru, and by extension, Yuuka. To my dismay, Emiko and Yuuka are actually friends. Could you imagine such a thing?

"Have you picked out a dress for the party yet?" She asks me with a completely straight face. Is she trying to ask nice as well? No doubt that's Shinji's doing.

"Think so," I hold up the skin tight black dress that's in my basket. "I just need to try it on." I was trying to see if there is anything else that I like before going on.

I think Yuuka's picked up on the animosity between us, since she starts to wander around looking at the racks of clothes. She followed by the girl who standing behind Emiko. I recognise her as that one duelist from the Fortune Cup final, Aki Izayoi. She's a psychic, known as the Black Rose Witch. She only became known in the gang circles once I left and she joined the Arcadia Movement. Yuuka is friends with her, and she's in Emiko's class, which explains why she's here. Kaoru told me that Yuuka and Aki are the pit crew members for Yusei's team in the WRGP.

I notice both Yuuka and Aki are glancing over at us while whispering. Emiko just ignores me as she looks at the clothes in the pile on her arm, with her boutique bag on the ground between her legs.

"Here, give me the pile." I say. "It'll make it easier to look through."

"I suppose so," her face softens slightly. She gives me the pile, picking up the top dress. She shakes her head and puts it on top of the clothes rack. I count the number of dresses, twelve. There's even a nice shirt and a pair of slacks in there.

"Are these all for Yuuka?" I ask.

"They were," she sighs. "The dress you found is the one she'll go with. I know that. The colour, the cut and the fabric all suit her very nicely. You must have an eye for that sort of thing."

"I suppose I do," I chuckle. I swear that I get the hint of a smile out of her. I pick up the last three dresses. "We'll give her these three to bring into the dressing room. These would look nice on her." There's a long black dress, a long blue and white dress, and a short pink dress. There's a wide range, but there's thought in each choice.

"You think so?" She asks, looking rather bashful.

I was right. All four dresses looked very nice on her, but she did choose the one I picked out for her. It accentuates her curves very nicely, which made me very happy. She throws a blazer that she bought earlier over the dress, which brings an extra layer of sophistication to the outfit.

The black dress that I found did fit very nicely. Yuuka added a wolf whistle as a joke, but it made me lose my mind. I ran back into the stall with my face burning red.

Once everyone had bought a dress, we all go to the coffee shop not too far from the shop we were in. I get a mocha, while Yuuka goes for pure black coffee. I still don't understand how she can drink that stuff. I only drink coffee for the caffeine, not because I actually enjoy its bitterness. Aki and Emiko both get a flavoured tea.

"Apparently Takumi is planning a huge night out." I say, looking straight at Yuuka. "Y'know, to celebrate."

"To celebrate what?" Emiko asks.

"No idea," I say, directing my attention away from Yuuka. I know that Team Liberation are close to conquering the entire city, there's only one gang left. Kaoru told me about this because he's never been to a club before. At this point, I wonder if he ever went outside before becoming a psychic.

"Yeah, he's been bugging me about going clubbing for the last while," Yuuka explains, "so that's basically what it is." She's keeping her answer purposefully vague. I notice that Aki is squinting slightly at Yuuka. She must be suspicious of what's going on, or maybe she already figured it out. There's a noticeable silence. Emiko seems to be the only one unaffected by the comment.

"Oh Aki!" Emiko's face lights up as she remembers something that can create a conversation. "Kaoru told me you're becoming a D-Wheeler!"

"Are you excited?" I ask her, hoping that this can get rid of the somewhat awkward silence.

"I am," she smiles. "Wouldn't that make everyone here a D-Wheeler?"

"Yeah, it would." I nod. "Good thing too. We always need more female D-Wheelers, maybe then we'll actually be taken seriously."

"If you need help with anything, you can always ask us." Emiko flashes a peace sign, like the fourteen-year-old girl she is on the inside.

"Yeah, I can beat up guys who make fun of you." We all laugh at Yuuka's comment, but I know that she's being completely serious. You don't get her build from fighting with words. Also, she will probably get made fun of. Seriously, why is sexism still a thing?

"Yuuka's actually making my Riding Suit," Aki says with pride. Both Emiko and I snap to look at Yuuka, who just stares at her cup of coffee.

"Why aren't you making me one?" Emiko puts on her best pout.

"Yeah, I'd love a suit made by you." I put on my best smile, while resting my head on the back of my hands.

"Oh, you know what she can do?" Emiko turns to me suddenly. "She could make the suits for our team! And they could all match, it'd be so cool." Our gaze turns to Yuuka, expectantly.

"I'm too poor for that," is the first thing out of her mouth. "Besides, I'm having a hard enough time designing my own suit."

"We'd pay you, of course." I wink at her, as I say that. Yuuka's got a talent for sewing. She's shown me some pictures of stuff she's make for herself. It's a tragedy that her talent was wasted in Raiden's mother's shitty boutique.

"Yeah," she says, looking intrigued at the thought of money. "Sounds like fun." Okay, that sounds like a lie. I think she just wants the money.

"Yes!" Emiko claps before grabbing my own hands. She beams at me, before realising what she's doing. Her hands snap away from mine, and I just lower mine slowly. I swear that I start to see a faint red tinge appearing on Emiko's cheeks.

The conversation moves on, ignoring that little incident. But I can't do the same. I do one nice thing for Emiko, and suddenly she's acting like she's my friend and  _blushing_. I must be going crazy. She couldn't possibly be that good of an actress, could she?

* * *

Emiko's sudden burst of kindness continues through our getting ready for the party. While I wouldn't call us friends, but we're not as vicious towards each other as we once were.

"Pass the straightener," Emiko practically shouts as she makes a grabby gesture towards me.

"Give me a few minutes, geez." I shake my head and roll my eyes, as I continue to straighten my hair. I have a lot of hair, so it takes me a while. "Why didn't you bring yours?"

"Yuuka said she was bringing hers, I didn't think I needed to!" She pouts at me.

"I brought this straightener, and I don't think I'm even going to get to use it." Yuuka turns to Aki, who hands her the straightener from her bag. Aki just shakes her head while smiling, as Yuuka hands it to Emiko.

"No, don't straighten your hair." I tell her. There's a slight curl to her hair, since it dried naturally. It suits her face so nicely, it would be a shame to straighten it now.

"She's right. It's such a shame that you always straighten your hair." Emiko adds, even though she admitted to straightening her hair every day no less than five minutes ago. "I think you should leave your hair like that." Yuuka puts her hand on the headband she's wearing while putting on makeup. At first, I think she's making a joke, but then I see how genuinely confused she is. "You know what I mean." I swear Kaoru and Yuuka are more alike than they give themselves credit for.

"Guess I will then," Yuuka says before turning to put eyeliner on. I notice that her mouth contorts into a weird shape as she applies it.

"So, I see you're perpetuating the stereotype of girls being unable to keep their mouths closed while putting on eyeliner-"

"Shut up Anako." She replies so quickly that I practically have whiplash, which earns a laugh from all of us.

Aki's dad arranges a driver to take us to the party. I wouldn't call it a limo, but it's definitely bigger than a normal car. I know Aki's dad is a senator, but  _damn_  how much money do these people have? We lose Yuuka and Aki as soon as we walk into the main hall. Emiko and I look back to see them talking to Yusei and their other friends. We walk around looking for Shinji, Reika and Kaoru. It's not hard considering how tall Shinji is.

Shinji and Kaoru are dressed just in shirts and slacks, while Reika's just in her plain clothes. I love Reika and all, but sometimes she just  _hurts_  me. I notice something unsettling. Shinji's dressed in a black shirt with black slacks, the exact thing that Raiden used to wear. I wonder if he has noticed. I know he likes to wear black, since it compliments his muscles or something. We make small talk, until Shinji spots something behind me that's apparently right over my head.

"Oh, look who it is." Shinji says as I turn around. Yuuka just rolls her eyes. "Such a shame, you could have been here with us." He tuts as if that doesn't mean dropping somebody, meaning me, from the team.

"I already told you, I'm here with those losers." Yuuka looks back, I follow her line of sight only to see Yusei's hair poking out of the crowd.

"Why are you wearing that dress?" Kaoru scowls at Yuuka. "It's too short." I get that he's protective of Yuuka, but this is going a little  _too_  far.

"Dude, she's worn a lot shorter dresses than that." Shinji looks at him with wide eyes. I don't think he expected Kaoru to pull this bullshit either. Kaoru just huffs. Wait, shorter dresses? The dress reaches just over halfway down Yuuka's thigh. I'm mentally adding another reason to the list of reasons of why I regret leaving the City all that time ago.

"Let her wear what she wants, stop being a butthole." I sigh. I can't believe Kaoru is really bringing up this stone age bullshit.  _Butthole_ , I hear Emiko chuckle as she repeats it to herself. I have to resist the urge to smile at that. I look back to Yuuka who suddenly seems on edge. I put my hand on her arm, and I smile. Thankfully, she calms down, at least a little bit.

Some weird clown looking guy comes onto the screens around the room and explains everything about the WRGP. Admittedly, I stop caring very quickly, and I think Yuuka does too. They preach this whole  _unity_  thing, especially once we joined with the Satellite, but they don't do anything for it. If you're not the exact picture of a model citizen, you might as well be dirt beneath the upper class's feet. I work for a psychic helpline, I know this too well. I have to deal with people calling that they'd rather just hide than come out to their parents, they were kicked out because they told, or they're just one more slur away from killing themselves. Things don't get better for people from the Satellite. The lack of accommodation in the Satellite means that they have to move into the City, so rent shot up and so many people are homeless. I'm still living in Reika's house because I can't afford anywhere else. Yuuka's been looking for a job for months now, but still hasn't gotten a single interview, all because of her mark. This City claims it's a utopia and values unity, but I see no such thing.

Yuuka leaves once the introductory talk is over. She practically runs to the buffet table where I see Yusei standing.

"There's so many people here," I hear Emiko say.

"That only means more competition." Kaoru huffs, clearly not in a good mood.

"We're still gonna beat them all, it doesn't matter how many of them there are." Shinji laughs.

I say nothing and just stare at the crowd around us. I hear lots of thick accents, the competition has generated interest from all around the world. We're not just dealing with homegrown teams here.

"But dude," Shinji sounds very serious all of a sudden, "leave Yuuka alone. She's a grown ass woman and she can dress however she wants."

"You saw those guys over there staring at her." He snarls. "She needs to be more careful. And she's worn shorter?"

"How she chooses to dress is her own business." Reika is using her mom voice. "If anything happens to her, that's a reflection of the men or women around her than the way she was dressing. Yuuka's a strong person, she can take care of herself."

Kaoru goes to respond but the sound of a D-Wheel approaching catches our attention. There's screams and the sound of glass breaking.

A D-Wheel lands in the hall as glass flies everywhere. Shinji and Kaoru throw Emiko and I behind their backs. Reika's hand shoots out and grabs my arm from behind. The screams of everyone in the room are deafening. The D-Wheel begins to move. The crowd parts, but someone still stands in the path.

Aki's ace monster, Black Rose Dragon, materialises and hits the D-Wheel with one of its thorns. The D-Wheel flies back out a window, sending more shards of glass everywhere. Security officers jump through the holes in the windows to follow the D-Wheel, which has since started driving away.

_Wow_  is all I can think. I feel like I have whiplash since all of that happened so quickly. I can't believe Aki's first reaction in that situation was to protect everyone. I was too focused on ducking to avoid the shards of glass flying everywhere.

Kaoru starts running towards Yuuka, as she runs towards Aki. I run after him. He reaches Yuuka and starts shaking her violently by the shoulders.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He practically shouts at her, over and over. Yuuka's too shaken to even respond, so I have to pull Kaoru off her.

"If she isn't okay, she would say so, dumbass." I huff. I hear Emiko on the phone with her dad, she sounds really worried. "I'll make sure she gets home safe."

"My dad is sending a driver out here," she says to me as she hangs up. "I can give you a lift home, if you want."

"I'm staying with Reika, so it's fine."

"Oh, I'll just give everyone a lift home then." She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm sure that my dad won't mind."

The ride home is pretty awkward. None of us really say anything. The event maybe lasted fifteen minutes before some random guy crashed into the building and ruined everything. And then, the little time we had to talk was spent teaching Kaoru how to be a decent human being. The night was a failure by all standards. At least I saw Yuuka for about five minutes, that's something I guess.

* * *

"I want to tell you something," Kaoru exhales deeply as we sit in the Melon Jelly cafe, "but I don't know how to tell you."

"Oh gods, where did you hide the body?"

"What?" Kaoru looks at me wide eyed. "Wait- No- I'd never do- Why was that your first immediate thought?"

"I don't know, you're in a gang and I thought something might have happened."

"No," he sighs as he pinches the top of his nose. "I've only told a few people about this-"

"Who?" I ask.

"Shinji and Emiko."

"What's something you couldn't tell your sister about?" I hum. "I thought you two were real close."

"We are, but I'm scared to tell her."

"What secret could be so bad that you can't tell your sister? Who, I remind you, can hear your thoughts." I lean back in the seat and cross my arms. I soften when I see the fear in his eyes. I sigh and lean forward into the table.

"I-" He begins. "What I want to say is- I think I-"

"Take your time," I whisper softly.

"Anako, I think I like someone. But I don't think I should like them." He meets my eyes. I nod at him, letting him continue. Who could it be? Obviously, it's someone that Yuuka's close with, otherwise he would have told her. And it's not Emiko, I realise. I bet she didn't take that well. No, I must focus on Kaoru right now. "You remember Yuuka's friend Takumi, don't you?"

_Takumi_.

"Team Liberation Takumi?" He nods slowly. Then I realise why this is such a big deal. Poor Kaoru thought he was straight. Then, he goes and falls for someone who is very close to his sister. "So, you're gay then?" I lean back in the chair.

"I- I don't know," he sighs.

"That doesn't matter now," I shake my head. "Thank you for telling me. That must have been hard."

"It was."

"How long?" He looks at me funny. "How long have you felt that way?"

"I don't know," he shrugs his shoulders. "It's been a while coming."

"Do you think he likes you back?" I stir my mocha, even though that it's half empty.

"Who knows?" Kaoru makes a face. "I mean, he's really nice to me. But then I'm thinking, what if he's like that with everyone?"

"Hey," I smack my hand on the table and he practically jumps. "You don't have that attitude in this house."

"But I have anxiety," Kaoru complains.

"We all have problems, so deal with it." I nod. "Not that your anxiety isn't valid- But- Okay- It's okay that you have anxiety, but you're not letting it control your life."

"Okay," he says as he raises his eyebrows. "Have you made any progress with my sister?"

"Nope," I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Once this whole Team Liberation thing is over, she'll have a lot more free time." He fiddles with the coaster on the table. "You'll have your shot then."

"I hope so," I sigh.

"I thought we didn't have that kind of attitude in this house?"

"Shut  _the hell_  your mouth."

* * *

The sound of my phone vibrating on the bedside table wakes me up. The sun isn't properly coming through the curtains yet, but I can still tell it's early in the morning. I pick my phone and answer it, only to hear a steady sequence of beeps.

I scoff and check my phone. A missed call from Kaoru. I suddenly feel uneasy, something's wrong. I know he said that they'd be going after the last gang soon, but I didn't think it would happen this quickly. The Cardinal Dragons are making the first move. My phone vibrates again.

**Kaoru:** _Daimon Area. Disguise. Now. At Cardinal Dragon base now, will meet you there._

I move as quick as I can without waking anyone in the house. Public transport isn't even available yet. It's nearly five in the morning and the sun is barely peeking over the horizon. There's no public transport, so I call for a taxi and chuck the change at him. I get out of the taxi in the side streets. As I start to walk, I hear shouting.

It's five in the morning, and there's very loud shouting.

I feel auras radiating from the Area as I approach it. Then, it hits me. Yuuka's aura is ever expanding, swallowing up everything around it. The air feels crisp and cold. I swear that I see my breath fog up in front of me, despite that the fact that it's not cold enough for that.

I start running.

"A few days after the Fortune Cup…" The voice is so sharp that it carries all the way to me. "Wasn't that when you went to the Satellite? Could it be that your traumatic experience was so bad that it triggered his powers and  _that's_ why you can hear each other's thoughts?"

"No!" I hear Yuuka scream, I stop in my place. "No! No! No! _No!_ "

"Yuuka!" More screams.

"Ben, that's enough."

"I'm just doing what I was told." Yuuka has fallen to the ground, barely supported by Shinji. Her mask and wig are gone, and there's blood all over her face, coming from a cut on her forehead. There's pure trauma on her face. I doubt she would hear me if I called out to her.

"Doing what you're told? Please. You're a monster, that's what you are!" I shout back at him. He turns to look at me in dismay. I recognise him. He was the second in command at the Cardinal Dragons before I left.

"Jasper, they have the same aura! What's going on?" He shouts to the man that I don't recognise, who must be his second. Yuuka manages to lift herself on the ground with Shinji's arm. "And who do you think you are?" He sneers at me.  _Benjamín_ , that was his name.

"Exactly who you think I am." I answer. "I'm Yuudai, plain and simple. I am that boy who died on Cardinal Dragons' territory all those years ago. I am fighting against what my death represents. I'm here to finish this."

I look over to Benjamín's second, only to realise that he has summoned Dark End Dragon. The dragon is manifesting some kind of cage that is trapping the rest of Team Liberation and Yuuka's friends. Something definitely happened.

Then I feel a sudden queasiness.

I look over to Benjamín, who has suddenly hunched over. Yuuka's hand is reaching out towards him. Her face is contorted as she moves her hand and wrist. Benjamín begins to cough violently. His entire body trembles, which only worsens the feeling in my stomach. Yuuka is doing this, I realise. Her entire eye is glowing orange, not just her iris.

Someone slips out of the cage behind me and runs to Yuuka. They manage to strike Yuuka, so that both of her arms go numb.

"What are you doing?!" She screams, her voice starting to break.

"Yuuka, stop!" They scream back. "Can't you see what you're doing"

"Kenta, I need to do this. He needs to feel my pain!"

Then, Kenta does something unthinkable. He slaps Yuuka right across the face.

"Stop it, Yuuka!"

"No!" Yuuka screams, turning her attention back to Benjamín. Her arms are still numb, so she glares at him. He immediately falls to his knees, and I feel nauseous. I feel rooted in my place. My body, itself, is afraid to move. Yuuka has become this powerful. Is this what Raiden saw all that time ago? Did he know this power laid dormant?

The second jumps in between Yuuka and Benjamín, so her attention switches to him. He barely avoids falling flat on his face but falls to his knees instead. Blood dribbles down his chin and starts to form a puddle beneath him.

I hear people screaming. I should do something, I keep thinking. My feet remain firmly on the ground, and do not move. The sheer power of Yuuka's aura scares me. My body is afraid to move in case it's becomes a target. The air feels thick with her aura and makes my stomach sick.

Then suddenly, everything disappears. Both Yuuka and the second fall. Kenta and Shinji help down to the ground, so she doesn't hurt herself. Then, I start to run.

"Hey, get us out of here!" I hear Kaoru scream at me.

"Not now."

"You came for me, did you? Help us!"

"No! I came for her!" I scream. "I love her! I told you that!" I ignore the fact that I just said the  _L_  word and kneel in front of Yuuka. She can barely open one of her eyes because there's so much blood on her face. I delicately hold her cheek. "Are you okay?" I whisper.

"Who are you?" She asks with a hoarse voice. I suppose she knows now, that I've liked- no, loved- her all this time. I remove my mask. "Anako!" She exclaims, before going into a fit of coughs.

"It's okay," I try to soothe her. It doesn't work. Her eyes move like she's figuring something out. She looks to Shinji. Somehow, she pulls herself onto her feet without any help.

"Where is he?" Her voice is completely straight. I feel Benjamín's aura quiver, but he sighs to hide it.

"You need to be more specific."

"Where is Raiden Kimura?" She screams at the top of her lungs. Everyone gasps, but me. Raiden's been suspecting of plotting with this gang for a long time. It does not surprise me that he might know. "You know where he is. He's the one who told you everything."

"So what?" Benjamín scoffs. "I don't know where he is. Last thing he told me, he was in Singapore. He orchestrated this whole thing, y'know. He told me exactly who to attack, where to attack. He even told me who everyone on Team Liberation would be, with one exception, but I figured that one on my own." He sighs dramatically. "Don't blame me, honey. I'm just doing what he told me. Follow this step-by-step guide and Team Liberation will not be able to beat us. And it's working, isn't it? Raiden told me what you did."

"Ben," the second injects. "He lied."

"What?" Benjamín exclaims.

"I heard her thoughts. Raiden is to blame. Her actions when Black Flag fell were justified."

"What? What am I supposed to do now then?" He sighs. All of a sudden, Yuuka stands up off the ground with an air of calm around her and walks towards Ben. "What do you want? Haven't you caused enough pain already?"

"I have," she nods. "But I'm setting that right. I won't fight you."

"Then how are you going to claim our territory?" He tries to egg her on, but she doesn't falter.

"My name is Yuuka Sasaki," she sighs. "I barely survived in the Satellite. As I was approaching death's door, I was saved by a woman who had lost her own family in the Zero Reverse. Everything led me to witness the formation of Team Satisfaction, the greatest duel gang to ever grace the Satellite. They had one goal, unifying the Satellite. Our existence was poor, at best. They thought, if we couldn't escape it, why not make it better? That's exactly what they did. I carry their legacy on my shoulders, I want to do the same."

"I didn't ask for your life story." Benjamín says as he rolls his eyes. "Besides, how do you know this will make the City a better place? Where's your proof?"

"You've already seen it yourself. The endless cycle of hatred and revenge is nearly broken." Yuuka takes a step forward. "We haven't solved this through violence. We've made people see our way of thinking. This violence doesn't have to continue!" Benjamín doesn't seem too entertained by Yuuka's words, so she turns to his second. "You don't have to stay here. We can leave this all behind and move on, have a normal life, settle down. Isn't that what you want, Jasper?" This gets a gasp from Benjamín. "Am I right?" Yuuka says with force.

There's silence. Jasper sighs and leaves Benjamín's side. He walks slowly and stands by Yuuka's side.

"I'm with her," he says calmly.

"Jasper, how could you?"

"You've said it yourself, Ben. You've thought about leaving for a while."

"Yes, and giving the gang to someone else! Not give it up entirely!" He screams back.

"Why would we not take this chance?" Jasper pleads. "I believe in what she's doing."

There's silence, and Benjamín contemplates his own situation. Jasper looks to me, and then the cage containing Yuuka's friends. Kaoru looks like he'll break down the cage himself if he has to. It looks too small for any of the psychics to summon monsters.

"If we give up here," I hear Benjamín say, "our own gang will attack us, beating us and someone will take our place." His attention turns to Yuuka. "If you can fend these off, I'll give you our territory." I feel it. There's auras approaching the area. How many people are there? It's hard to tell.

"Understood," she agrees.

I summon Chaos Goddess and get it to break the cage. Everyone runs to Yuuka, barely acknowledging me.

"Are you okay?" Yusei asks as he reaches her first.

"I'm fine," she answers curtly.

"Are you  _sure?_ " There's doubt in Kaoru's voice. "You didn't seem like that a minute ago."

"You doubt her?" Jasper asks. "You can hear her thoughts, can't you?"

"How do you know that?"

"I can hear your thoughts in her head. Not that she pays much mind to them." Kaoru merely scoffs.

Lots of people are talking, but Yuuka seems oblivious to it all.

"Yuuka?" One of her friends asks. "Your eyes… They're orange."

"It's because she went berserk just there." Jasper explains. "I don't know if you saw it. Her entire eye, including the whites, glowed orange. Once she snapped out of it, only her iris was orange."

"It's happened before, powers were a bit too much for me." Yuuka sighs.

"It's a miracle you're still standing." Shinji raises a hand to his mouth. Yuuka's glare shuts him up. Could stamina be her real weakness? I notice Yuuka moves a hand to her stab wound.

"What are we doing now?" Takumi asks her.

"Fending off everyone who's coming to attack us now." Yuuka looks all around her. I can tell that she wants to pace, but she doesn't have the room or energy for it.

"Form a line here or move out, that's the question." Takumi wonders, but he's met with silence. Then, something in the air changes.

"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yuuka's face is starting to light up. Her eyes dart all over the place, like she's trying to catch a plan that's right before her eyes.

"Shinji," she says as she suddenly turns to look at him. "One last time?" She puts her hand out for a fist bump. Shinji hesitates, but then he smiles.

"One last time." His fist meets hers. He pulls it back, only to realise that his fingers are covered in Yuuka's blood. The hand she used to fist bump was the one she held her stab wound with, and the blood wasn't entirely visible because of the black leather gloves she's wearing.

"Kenta!" Everyone moves as she starts to pace. "I need a favour."

"Sure," he responds.

"Okay." She says as she puts her hand out in Takumi's direction. He hands her a backpack. She takes out what looks like two handcuffs on either end of a piece of rope, and several of them at that. Wait, Yuuka told me about these before. Team Satisfaction used them to force people to duel them. "Most of them are coming from that direction." She points towards the largest entrance to the Area, then she turns her attention to another entrance. "I'll take that side with Shinji and Kenta. Anyone who wants to fight can. I recommend taking one of these. They are a lot of psychics out there, be careful."

"Yusei, take my duel disk." Shinji says, holding his duel disk out to Yusei, who's the only person without one. "I don't think I need my duel disk, do I?" He looks at Yuuka.

"You don't," she confirms. There's a pause. Jasper throws a card at Yuuka, who merely smiles and puts it away. "Okay, come on, we're moving out."

Yuuka practically runs off, with Shinji and Kenta following her. Takumi begins to form a plan with everyone else. I can't bring myself to listen or to care in that exact moment. Kaoru and I fall behind as everyone starts to move out. He tells me to put my mask back on.

Yuuka heard me saying I love you, she knows it was me, and yet she said nothing.

Granted, she had more important things to be worrying about, but  _still_. She didn't even acknowledge it. Not even a  _we'll continue this later_. Have I ruined everything?

A bolt of lightning flies between Kaoru and I, barely missing the both of us. He immediately activates his duel disk and brings out Judgement Dragon, and I bring out Chaos Goddess. I concentrate on my aura, and make it feel like Yuuka's. I feel the familiar static in my fingertips.

Kaoru takes the offense front, while I try to protect everyone else from enemy fire. I hear the roar of a D-Wheel, which parts the crowd of enemies in front of us. The person standing on the back of the D-Wheel uses a dragon to take out a good portion of them. Everyone seems to be putting up a good fight, even if they're not psychics.

I start to think that Security will arrive soon, but I realise that the people of the Daimon Area know better than to call Security when psychics are on their doorstep. The area has long been fought over between gangs.

There's three distinct roars of dragons. Stardust Dragon, Dark End Dragon, and Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier all fly over the top of the buildings. Then, I feel it. Raiden's and Yuuka's auras. Everything comes to a standstill for just a second.

Some people run away. We let them go.

Some people try to attack the dragons. Trishula makes quick work of them.

Some people continue their attack. It doesn't take much longer to get rid of them, now that the numbers are starting to even out.

A few of us keep watch on every entrance into the Daimon Area. It's coming up to six now, which means that people will be waking up soon. It's a Sunday, so I'd say we have a bit more time than normal.

Everything seems to have stopped, but we don't celebrate.

Especially when Shinji come back into Area carrying an unconscious, bloody Yuuka. He lies her down on the ground, in the corner of the Area. He refuses to let anyone get closer to her. He only lets Kenta, who had been with them.

"Nico, it's me." He sighs into the phone. "You know exactly who I'm calling about. Two knife wounds, lot of blood lost, overuse of powers. I don't care, I'll pay the extra." He sighs again. "Just come to the Daimon Area, now  _please_."

Somehow there's a sense of calm in the air, despite the current situation. Then, I realise that Kenta is creating it. I've heard of psychics being able to manipulate auras like that, but this many at once is quite a feat.

My brain's still trying to comprehend everything's that's happened. Kaoru tells me that the Cardinal Dragons kidnapped Yusei to lure Yuuka out. Yusei was fine, but then the leaders came out. Jasper was the one who stabbed Yuuka. Then, Benjamín tried to break Yuuka mentally. He told everyone that she did something horrible in the Satellite, gave herself alcohol poisoning to try to forget it, and then when that failed, tried to kill herself. Not only that, but whatever happened in the Satellite was so traumatic for her that it caused  _Kaoru's_ powers to manifest and that's why they can hear each other's thoughts.

Nico arrives and being checking over Yuuka. I can't see what he's doing from where I am, but I hear something about closing the wound. Takumi says that he'll cover the cost of everything.

I ask Kaoru how he feels about that, since it's technically Yuuka's fault that he got dragged into this mess. He says he doesn't blame her, because he's gained so much from being a psychic.

That was the part that I overheard, and what caused her to finally break. Maybe that's why she didn't react to the  _I love you_. It makes sense.

"Most of the bleeding seems to have stopped," Nico says as he stands up again. "Though, she might be out for a while with all that blood loss."

"I believe congratulations is in order," Shinji begins since the atmosphere has started to lighten up a bit. Though, he's ignoring the conversation that Nico's having in Spanish with Benjamín and the former leader of the Phantom Riders, who showed up on his D-Wheel with the former leader of the Red Serpents.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru interjects. I would have assumed Shinji was talking about conquering the City, but apparently not.

"When I was carrying her back here," Shinji gestures towards Yuuka, "she was muttering about her boyfriend." Boyfriend? She couldn't possibly have… Surely, she would have said something. "I know Yuuka. That could only mean one person."

Of course. It's Yusei, isn't it? Who else would it be? I'm so stupid.

The other conversation, that's in Spanish, continues. Then, Yuuka holds herself up with one arm, yells in Spanish, and lies back down.

"She said she's not going to the hospital," Nico explains. So, their conversation must have included something about Yuuka's condition. Considering she's awake now, a hospital trip seems less likely.

"Didn't know she knew Spanish," Benjamín blinks in surprise.

"Me neither," the former leader of the Phantom Riders shakes his head.

"She learnt it in Duel Academy." I hear the anger in Kaoru's voice. Oh, that's why she never said anything. If Kaoru was giving out about the length of her skirt, what would he saying about her dating a boy? Given the fact that I'm quite close with Kaoru, it must have thought it was a good idea not to tell me, just in case. I understand, but it doesn't exactly make me feel better. I came back to this City for Yuuka, but now, I fail to see the point of it all. Kaoru has walked over to where Yuuka is lying, he squats down on the ground. "Yuuka." His voice is sharp and cold. Her head turns away from him. "I know you can hear me." She turns onto her side, so that she's looking away from him.

"Yuuka, don't lay on that side. If your stab wound opens again, I swear to the gods, I'm leaving." Nico sighs dramatically.

"Yuuka, why didn't you tell you have a boyfriend?" Yuuka practically jumps up into a sitting position, barely avoiding her head colliding with Kaoru's. She doesn't answer. "Yuuka," he says in an even sterner tone.

"I thought you might try to murder him, so I just didn't?" There's an incredibly fake smile on her face, but there's pain on every inch of her face.

"She looks like she's crying." I hear Takumi whisper to Shinji as they both start laughing.

"Who is it, Yuuka?" Kaoru pulls Yuuka onto her feet.

"Who do you think it is?" Her eyes are so wide that they might pop. She nervously brushes away the hair that's fallen into her face.

Kaoru is silent. I see both of them glancing at Yusei, who looks like he wants to be on the other side of the world right now.

"Kaoru, how'd you not know they were dating?" Shinji laughs. Is he saying that I should have known too? No, it's just the telepathy. At least, that's what I tell myself.

"Dude, I don't even think he's noticed that Kenta and I have been dating the entire time?" Takumi absolutely howls with laughter.

"What?" Kaoru exclaims as his face falls. His face is contorted by the confusion. He looks to me. I see disbelief, and a hint of betrayal in his eyes. I just shrug my shoulders.

It might sound bad, considering he's my friend and all, but I'm finding it very hard to care at that exact moment. Kaoru has only known Takumi for a couple of months and liked him for an even shorter period of time. I've liked Yuuka for over two years. I was forced from Black Flag because I tried to protect her. I came back to this City just, so I could be there for her. I did all that because I loved her. But now, that's all pointless. Everything I done has been for nothing. The last two years of my life have been wasted.

All because Yuuka Sasaki fell in love with someone who wasn't me.

"Here," Benjamín says as he extends a hand for Yuuka to shake. That's it. Team Liberation have officially conquered the entire City. They have a little team huddle. I wonder how long I'll have to stay here, feeling awkward. I don't want to be the first one to leave, but at this point, I might.

Then, Benjamín's phone begins to ring. Yuuka freezes dead in her spot and stares at him. Hold on, could  _he_ really be calling? Benjamín looks at the name on the screen. His eyes dart between Yuuka and the phone. Oh no.

"Hello?" His voice shakes as he answers the phone. "Yes." He gulps. "She did." Impossible. "Put you on speaker? Sure." He shoots a look towards Yuuka like he's sorry.

"Yuuka!" Raiden's voice sounds muffled through the speaker. It sounds exactly like I remember it. "Congratulations on conquering the entire City. You really surprised us all." There's clear sarcasm in his voice. "What comes next, huh?" Yuuka stumbles backwards. Takumi and Kenta grab both of her arms to keep her from falling. "You have the entire City in your hands. What will you do to lead it? Because you're on your own now." He laughs, but more to himself than anything else. "Guess I'll have to come and snatch it back. Cause remember we were going to do that together? You little bitch." He curses with pure venom in his voice. It reminds me of the time he made me leave the City, I shudder at the unpleasant memory. "Until next time then, cause I'm coming for you." The line goes dead. There's pure silence as everyone stares at Yuuka, waiting for her to react.

But she doesn't.

She just stands there, with a vacant expression on her face. She slowly begins to walk. She picks up the remains of her mask. There's a clean cut between the two pieces, starting where the scar on her forehead is. She takes off her cape and holds that in her hands too. Shinji hands her a lighter. She throws what she has in her hands to the ground. The fabric of the cape billows, while the mask falls with a clatter. She kneels on the ground and catches the flame of the lighter on the fabric. The fire starts small. It grows, its warmth rising into the air. Shinji makes her stand back from the fire.

I hold my replica in her mask in my hands. I walk over to her side and throw it into the fire. Her shoulder brushes off mine as we watch it burn. I watch her face, as the light of the flame flickers in her eyes. I feel an anger starting to bubble up from inside her.

Then, I understand why.

She's tired. Raiden let her take over the City for him, only for him to try to sweep in and take it back. She's tired of being used. This anger is because of Raiden Kimura, and everything he stands for. Her face contorts in her rage. I see the look in her eyes. She wants revenge.

The flames start to die quite quickly. The vacant expression washes back over her face. There's pure silence. Yuuka begins to walk away, all of our eyes follow her. The only person to follow her is Yusei.

I want to say that I hate him, but I can't bring myself to carry through with it.

I know the truth, and it mocks me.

Kaoru moves to console me, but I run away in the opposite direction.

* * *

I go to Reika's house, only to change clothes before leaving again. I go to the only place I can think of in that exact moment, the Melon Jelly cafe. I text the one person who could understand what I'm going through right now, Emiko.

"Why did you ask me to meet you here?" She says once she sits down. "Did you get involved in the Liberation thing too? You're covered in cuts and bruises."

"I did get involved today, yes. It's all over now." I nod. "But that's not why I asked you to come here. I asked you because- Let me put it this way- How are you doing? Y'know after Kaoru told you that he likes Takumi." A sudden realisation comes over her face.

"Not well," she answers. "I've liked him for years. We've technically been on a bunch of dates, but he's never said anything. I thought I finally had a shot. Nope. Turns out that was all a lie." She sighs deeply. "I imagine you're feeling the same right now. I mean, you haven't known him as long as I have, but you get the idea."

"I never liked Kaoru, you know that right?" I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Wait- What?" She blinks rapidly in surprise. "But I thought you- Then who-"

"I've liked Yuuka all this time, loved her even."

"Yuuka?" She echoes. "But doesn't she like-"

"She's dating Yusei now." I sigh. "I learnt that today."

"Oh dear, I could have told you that if you just asked," she mutters. "How long have you- y'know?"

"Two years," I nod slowly. "Did Kaoru tell you that I left the City a while ago, and came back just recently?" She nods back at me. "I never told anyone why, but I suppose I can tell you. I left the City because I tried to protect Yuuka. I didn't work. Once I left, the things that I tried to stop happened and that's why Yuuka is the way she is now. I only came back because… well- let's just say that I couldn't stand the way things turned out."

"You did it because you  _loved_ her?"

"Yeah," I answer softly.

"You feel like everything you've done up until now has been pointless." I gasp and meet her eyes. They've lost some of that light that always seems to radiate from her. "You know you need to move on, but you don't know how. Your life has been so centred around them, that trying to do that just feels impossible. You just feel so alone-"

"Are you reading my thoughts?" I say, cracking a small smile as I sip my second mocha.

"I guess we're just more alike than we thought," she chuckles softly. A small part of that light returns to her eyes.

"I suppose you're right."

"Do you know what?" I say suddenly. "They don't even have anything in common, besides being from the Satellites and having markers. Isn't he some sort of super genius mechanic? I know for a fact that Yuuka couldn't care less about that shit. How do they even talk to each other?"

"Well," Emiko begins, "it's not that simple. I've seen them interact, and there just seems to be this mutual understanding between them. I can't speak for them, obviously, but maybe that's enough for them."

There's a silence between us. It's neither awkward nor comfortable, but existing somewhere between. Without a word, Emiko's hand reaches across the table and grabs my own. There's a different mutual understanding between us right now.

"I don't know what to do now," I mutter. "Maybe I could go back up north. This city holds nothing for me anymore."

"That's not true," Emiko says as the crease in her brow betrays her smile. "At least wait until the WRGP is over. You're a talented duelist, it would be a shame to lose you."

"You've got a point," I chuckle. I stare at our hands, still holding onto each other, as Emiko rubs her thumb over the back of my hand. "I suppose I could stay, just for a little while." Emiko smiles, genuinely this time.

"Have you got your deck with you?" She asks. "If we're gonna be a team, we're gonna need to know each other's decks inside out." She orders a pot of tea for us to share.

"You're right, teamwork will be important." I nod with a smile. "Do you really carry your deck with you everywhere?"

"Of course, I'll never pass up the chance for a duel."

"Do you want to duel now?" I raise my eyebrows in a taunting gesture. "Just to familiarise ourselves with each other's decks."

"You're on." She smirks at me. She takes her deck out and starts to shuffle it, so I do the same.

"You're run a Naturia deck, right?" She nods. "I run a Spellcaster deck myself."

"Nice," she keeps nodding. There's a pause. "You know if you need anyone to talk to, I'm always there."

"I know that," I smile, "thank you."


	5. Another Suitcase In Another Hall III

_Anako_

* * *

"Let me put it on record that I'm only doing this for Kaoru." I say, walking into the house where Yuuka's friends live. For some reason, this is where Takumi is hosting the pre-drinks for his grand finale night out. Everyone that helped them with Team Liberation, meaning the battle with Cardinal Dragons, was allowed come. Emiko is coming with me because no one can really stop Emiko doing anything, and especially not Kaoru. But, only the actual Team Liberation, plus Shinji because Takumi said so, is allowed go to the club afterwards. I think about going to Psycho afterwards just out of spite.

"Because you're his friend." Emiko finishes.

"Exactly." I sigh. "Because if I'm going to get over  _she who must not be named_ , I need to interact with her at least a little bit."

"Good, you've clearly rehearsed this."

Thankfully, Yuuka is running around talking to everyone that's not us. Emiko and I are just having a grand old time eating the party food that Yuuka laid out. So we don't waste the occasion of us being dressed up, Emiko and I are going to bar together after the pre-drinks. Emiko put on a lot of makeup and very high heels in order to get in. It's amazing that despite how tall her heels are, she's still smaller than me. Mentally, I take note of how much I like that.

"Yuuka!" Emiko calls out to Yuuka, once she's stopped teasing Jack Atlas about drinking coffee during a pre-drinks. "This food is so good, oh gods." She takes another ridiculously tiny pie. She thinks the tiny pie is cute, she told me this, but then she shoves it in her mouth in one go like she's reenacting Godzilla with it.

"I literally just stuck all of this into the oven like," she takes out her phone, "two hours ago."

"Give me the brand of these, they're so tasty." Her eyes are practically bulging looking at all the food. Knowing Yuuka, this is probably some dirt-cheap brand that she modified in some way to make it taste better.

"I'll text you it later," she says. Then, she gives us a look up and down, realising that we look very fancy considering we're not going to Psycho with them. "What are yous up to tonight? Don't say Psycho, I can't listen to Takumi complain all night."

"Going to a bar, actually." Emiko corrects her. "They have lots of board games, we should all go sometime." She pulls my arm, dragging me practically on top of her. I can feel the rum burning in my cheeks. Yuuka looks very awkward all of a sudden. Well, things are very awkward between us right now. She hasn't texted me at all, or even looked at me since I arrived. I really hope I don't lose her as a friend. Bad enough that my love's unrequited, I would hate it if our friendship was too.

"I made this great joke earlier," I chuckle as an attempt to get rid of the awkwardness. "We were talking about the cocktail sausages. Emiko said she's not really fan of sausage. Then, I went  _I like all kinds of sausages, except man sausage._ " Yuuka nearly spits out her drink as she starts laughing.

"I have screenshots which contradict that statement." Shinji butts in.

"I mean, relatable though." Yuuka nods thoughtfully, as if she literally does not have a boyfriend with a dick.

"I also have screenshots." Takumi leans into the conversation, without removing his arm that's around Kaoru's shoulders. Yuuka shakes her head with wide eyes and walks off. No doubt both of them were referring to our relationships with Raiden. That's something that neither of us want to be reminded of.

"So," Emiko starts. "What's your deal?" Oh boy, here we go. "Kaoru said you're bisexual, and you've made a joke about it too. Yet, you just said you don't like dick. What is the truth?" She squints at me.

"I don't know," I avoid her gaze with wide eyes. "I guess I don't see myself with a guy as much anymore. Maybe it was just Raiden, or maybe I'm just not attracted to dudes anymore. I have no idea."

"Anako, are you a lesbian?" She leans into me and asks very quietly.

I go silent. Maybe that's why I couldn't like Kaoru even though he's practically a male version of Yuuka. Actually, that would make a lot of sense. Then, the fact I only slept with women after I left the City. I literally have not found a single man attractive since I first started associating with Raiden.

"Oh my gods, I'm a lesbian." I mutter to myself, but Emiko just happens to hear me.

"It's okay. We still love and respect you." She nods slowly. "It doesn't matter what you identify as. What's important here is that we all love and respect women."

"I drink a glass of respecting women juice with every meal."

"Same," she fakes being super emotional as she nods. She told me that she's pansexual. All I took from that is that she likes women, because that's what's important to me in a cute girl.

"Emiko!" Shinji shouts over to her. "I won our bet!"

"Oh Yuuka, why couldn't you have waited a few months? Geez." Emiko sighs, handing Shinji a bank note from her purse.

"What bet was it?" I ask.

"Whether Yuuka would get with Yusei before she turned twenty," she shakes her head. "I lost."

"Shinji told me that Yusei was my competition," I sigh, "I didn't know that meant she liked him back."

"Hey!" Emiko looks at me with her big eyes. "What did I tell you about getting depressed?"

"Not to."

"Exactly!" She smacks me on the back a little too hard, as if it were that simple.

We continue talking, while filling ourselves up with food. Our thinking was that if we eat as much as we could now, we wouldn't have to spend as much money on food later. Then, the room suddenly gets quiet. Everyone seems to realise it at once. Team Liberation and Shinji are nowhere to be seen.

Yuuka burst in the door. She sees that everyone is still here. She quickly says that she forgot something and they're all going out now, she thanks everyone for coming before running upstairs. Something is definitely wrong. Emiko thinks so too. But we have no way to help. Yusei runs up the stairs after her, so he agrees. We say goodbye to everyone before leaving. No one's waiting outside for Yuuka. Maybe they've gone ahead, Emiko says without anything prompting her. I would agree, but the fact that Yuuka's face was so neutral back there. That's what she does when she's hiding something.

I try to focus on Emiko, until it's hard not to. She's in front of me and she's smiling at me. She matters in this moment than Yuuka does, that's what I tell myself.

Then, I need to resist the urge to yank her hair as she kicks my ass in Monopoly. She does this while smirking as she sips wine, leaving lipstick marks on the glass.

"You can't buy that street!" I practically scream as I feel the vodka start to cloud my brain. "That's where Psycho is, you can't take that away from me. That's like- my  _home_!"

"But it has that little nerdy shop, and that's  _my_  home."

"How about we co-own it, and no one pays rent?" I pick up some fake money and wave it in her face.

"Bitch, I want that rent when you land on it next turn, so no." She takes the card and adds it to her ever-growing pile. Somehow, despite taking as many turns as me, she somehow has twice as many cards as me.

"You know what, I don't think Monopoly is made for two players."

"I don't care," Emiko grins at me.

"That's because you're winning."

"Yes, so why would I complain?" The grin turns into a smirk. Then, I'm torn between slapping her across the face or kissing it instead, and I'm not sure which idea sounds better to me.

* * *

The lead up to the WRGP goes quickly. Yuuka finishes our team's Riding Suits, they are mostly red and black with some extra colour for contrast. It was my idea, it makes us look very uniform. We duel each other and go over our strategies. We find cards that work with each other's deck, so that we can try leave them for the next person if one of us loses.

The first day of the tournament arrives in the blink of an eye. We have one of the morning matches. We're on the opposite side of the board from Yuuka's team, meaning that the only time we could face them is in the final. Speaking of which, they're also dueling on the first day but in the afternoon slot and in the Memorial Circuit Stadium, since they're in Block A and they just happen to be one of the favourites to win. That's not a surprise, since the team contains both Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas, two of the most iconic duelists of the last year. Turns out that our match is in the Horizon Ring Stadium, a slightly smaller stadium, since we're in Block G, and we're dueling Team Small Field, whose odds to win are better than ours.

"Where's Yuuka sitting?" Emiko asks as we enter the pit.

"She's not coming," Shinji shoots a glare towards Kaoru. Both Emiko and I are glancing between Shinji and Kaoru. It's not like Shinji to glare or speak so passive aggressively.

"Why is she not?" Emiko prods.

"Turns out Takumi only started to Team Liberation to basically take over the world." Shinji slams his water bottle on the desk. "And Kaoru sided with him over Yuuka."

"We're here to duel, so can we just-"

"You betrayed your sister, and she had a panic attack so bad that Yusei almost brought her to the hospital."

There's silence as we all stare at Kaoru. He doesn't respond. His face is completely emotionless.

"Kaoru, what the fuck?" Emiko's voice goes up about an octave. Everyone begins talking at once. It's hard to exactly hear what they're yelling at Kaoru. I say nothing, and just stare at him. He looks back at him, as if for help, but I just shake my head.

He sided with Takumi, who was up to some questionable shit the entire time. Then, I realise why Yuuka reacted the way she did. He might as well have sided with Raiden. It hurts me now that I think about it. After all that Yuuka and I have been through, he goes against all that and it's being rubbed in our faces.

Team Small Field come over to our pit to wish us a good game. I notice that their Japanese is actually quite good, despite their thick Indian accents. We get up to shake their hands and wish them the same.

That shuts everyone up again. Our opponent heard us arguing just before our match, they probably feel like they're in a good position right now.

"Okay, let's just put that behind us for now." I sigh as I sit down at the desk. "Kaoru, you're first out so you should be getting ready."

Reika's fingers type furiously on the keyboard. We don't talk to each other. I hear Emiko and Shinji whispering to each other. I could eavesdrop if I wanted to, but at this moment, I just want everything to stop.

"It's almost time for this featured battle!" The MC's voice booms over the sound system. Since this is a lower profile match, we don't get the main MC of the tournament, but someone who is less entertaining. "The crews have returned to their pits, so the duel is about to begin!"

Kaoru drives to the start line, without a word. He exchanges some friendly banter with Team Small Field's first rider, Joel.

"Speed World 2, set!"

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC's voice shouts, hurting my ears a little. "Both start simultaneously!"

The screams are deafening. This is technically the first match of the tournament, since there's another match starting somewhere right now at the same time as ours.

Kaoru takes the first turn, and an early lead. He manages to Synchro on his first turn and finishes the first rider within five turns.

"He's being really aggressive, isn't he?" Reika comments.

"I've never seen him play like this before." Emiko says, which means that this is really unusual.

The second rider comes out, and since Kaoru is already set up, he's finished in four turns. Kaoru is starting to make reckless plays, that could easily backfire on him, for the sake of winning.

"What's going on?" Shinji practically exclaims. Kaoru flies past the pit, with his D-Wheel giving a thunderous roar. The crowd is going wild. They're cheering his name. Every life point of damage he deals, they only get louder, and I think that I'm starting to get a headache. Considering the fact if Kaoru loses means that I'm up next, I'd say that's not good. He's only lost 1600 life points so far, damn that's impressive. Only losing that when you've dealt 8000 points of damage.

The final rider races onto the track. She's quite tough, according to her profile. She reduces Kaoru to 1100 life points quickly.

Then, I start getting ready to go. I stand beside Reika's D-Wheel, which I'm borrowing for the tournament since I didn't have enough money saved up to buy myself one.

"Special Summon, Judgement Dragon!" Kaoru's voice rings out over the sound system.

I place my helmet back down on the D-Wheel and walk back into the pit. I know there's no point in waiting there anymore.

"Now, I activate Judgement Dragon's effect, by paying 1000 life points, I can destroy every card on the field besides Judgement Dragon. Judgement Day!"

"Is he going to…" Emiko grabs my arm as soon as I'm within reach.

"Judgement Dragon attacks you directly!"

The attack goes through, and Kaoru wins.

The crowd erupts into a frenzy. They scream Kaoru's name.

"Oh!" The MC screams, barely audible over the crowd. "Kaoru Sasaki has taken out all three opponents in quick succession! The World Riding Duel Grand Prix is off to a flying start!"

Shinji and Emiko cheer and practically jump on Kaoru once he gets into the pit. I, however, am not feeling the surge of adrenaline from the win.

"Did I do good?" Kaoru asks me.

"I mean- I guess, you did. You won the match after all." I say without any enthusiasm in my voice.

"Yeah, that's true." He nods and looks away. I feel bad. He, like everyone else here, has a problem in which he thinks he'll never be good enough. I struggle with that too, he's not special. I don't think I have it in me to play nice.

Our leaving was delayed since every single member of press we passed wanted an interview with Kaoru. Just Kaoru, as expected.

We made a deal with Yuuka that we'd go to the first Team 5D's match, and she'd go to the first Team Delta match. We're not sure what to do since Yuuka bailed this morning because Kaoru has suddenly turned into a butthole. We decide to go anyway, since it'll be a good duel regardless.

By the time we change clothes, grab lunch, and arrive at the Memorial Circuit, the match is about to start. Jack Atlas goes first, but his power deck quickly loses to Andore, Team Unicorn's lead, who just happens to use an anti-power deck. He crashes but he manages to push his D-Wheel before their team's Speed Counters reach 0. Aki is up next, she fairs slightly better against Andore. She summons Stardust Dragon, sacrificing herself so Yusei could start with his ace monster on the field. The most shocking moment of the tournament so far, the MC says as Yusei rolls out.

"I'm going to get a drink." Kaoru stands up and practically runs away. I think nothing of it, and neither does anyone else apparently. Except Emiko, who looks at me weird. But she's had a habit of doing that lately.

Turns out that Aki summoning Stardust Dragon was not the most surprising moment of the match. Yusei, the last wheeler, came from behind to defeat all three opponents. Kaoru's not back yet. Yusei dueled three people back-to-back, but that wasn't enough time to get a bottle of water apparently. We decide not to wait for Kaoru, and just leave.

"Hey," Emiko says to me. "I want to grab a tea really quick, want to join me?" Her eyes are wide. She seems to know something that I don't. We say goodbye to Shinji and Reika.

"Kaoru was looking at his phone right before he left." She whispers to me right as we pass the coffee stand. "So, I'm thinking that's something going on-" Emiko pulls me behind the coffee stand. "Shhhh!" She places her hand over my mouth. "Look!" We peek around the corner of the stall to see Takumi walking towards the medical centre with a bottle of water.

"What's he doing?" My words are mumbled since Emiko hasn't moved her hand. That's when she realises that and takes her hand away. "Who's in the medical centre?"

"Could Kaoru be sick?"

"Nope," Emiko hums. "Wait, is it Yuuka? She has a habit of fainting. Let's go." We move quickly over the medical centre. We hid behind the corner.

"Team 5D's duel just ended." I hear Takumi say. "Thought you'd like to know. Yusei manage to defeat all three wheelers on his own. I'd say it was impressive if your brother hadn't already done that today." There's silence. Emiko looks at me and her nostrils flare. "Aren't you proud of him?"

"Leave her alone, Takumi." Emiko practically storms in, guns blazing. I have no choice but to go after her. "Can't you see that she looks uncomfortable?"

"She always looks like that." Takumi scowls right back at her, with a frown. I look at Yuuka, who's looking very pale. She's looking like she's starting to disassociate. No, she doesn't normally look like that. There's something clearly wrong. And that thing is called Kaoru and Takumi.

"No, I know Yuuka, and that's not her normal face." Emiko walks right up into Takumi's face. Well, maybe not his face, considering she doesn't pass his shoulder. "You're up to something, I know it." She brings up her finger up, as if to point at him but missing his face by a lot.

"Kaoru's face makes that obvious," I say as I stare right at him. He gulps. Why is he here with Yuuka? And not one of her friends?

"You keep that Team Liberation thing from me." Emiko turns her anger on Kaoru. Her face is turning redder by the second. "And now this?"

"It's nothing." Kaoru says, clearly lying.

"Where's Jack?" Yuuka asks, completely changing the topic. "He should have been here."

"He left a few minutes before you woke up. He knows you're here, so I suspect someone will come for you." Kaoru answers, and says nothing more. He tells Takumi to shut up as soon as he opens his mouth. Emiko glares at Kaoru. I put my hand on her arm, in an attempt to calm her down.

"You don't need to fight with him here," I whisper to her. "Regardless of what he hid from you, this is Yuuka's problem to deal with. You're going down to their level if you argue with them here. You should wait until we're somewhere more suited for this."

A member of staff comes over to ask Yuuka a few questions. They figure out that she just fainted, and say that she's free to go, with the usual advice to rest and drink lots of fluids.

"Why did you faint anyway?" Kaoru asks.

"Just as said, I haven't eaten today."

"That's a lie," he sneers.

"You wouldn't know that already?" Yusei walks into the room. I don't know Yusei very well. He's pretty stoic, but the way his eyebrow is ever so slightly furrowed gives me the impression that he's pissed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaoru scoffs.

"The only reason you're here in the first place is because you read her thoughts. You have a lot of nerve showing your face after what you did." Kaoru's eyes widen, and he doesn't react. "Come on, Yuuka, we're leaving." Yuuka, silently, gets up to follow him. I think I hear a sigh from her as she walks passes me.

"You better watch out, Fudo." Takumi says, as the last few minutes haven't already been filled with enough drama. "Team Delta's going to destroy you in the finals. You're not the only person to defeat an entire team by themselves." Emiko looks like she's about to go for his throat.

"Then, I guess we'll just defeat you too." Yusei just casually claps back as he walks out the door. Both Kaoru and Takumi just stand there, eyes wide. Meanwhile, Yuuka is practically grinning as she walks out the door.

"Gods, that was smooth." Emiko chuckles. "But, you-" she turns to looks at Takumi and Kaoru, "you two need to stay away from her. Or you'll have to deal with us." She scoffs and walks out the door. Kaoru looks like he's going to say something to me, but I turn and follow Emiko.

* * *

Our next opponent is Team Mantis, a band of martial artists from the looks of it. Today's rotation is Shinji, me and then Emiko. Kaoru hogged all the glory last time, so he gets to sit this one out.

Shinji defeats the first opponent but loses within two turns to the next one. I try to remain calm. How many hundreds of thousands of people are in this stadium? They did a count before the match and displayed it on the big screen. I didn't pay attention, I knew it would only make me more nervous. I take a few deep breaths, and just let go. I manage to defeat the second rider with relative ease.

The third rider, oh boy.

It's a long duel. We both seem pretty equipped to deal with each other's decks. But, in the end, I lose the round. I can't dwell on this loss too much. I weakened my opponent as much as I could have. I set up an opportunity for Emiko to take the win. If I had lasted one more turn, I could have done it.

Turns out that I actually might have.

Emiko, the little spitfire that she is, takes out the last rider in her first turn. Not that he had that many life points left. She lets out a huge scream, once she gets back into the pit. She nearly tackles me to the ground in a hug.

Shinji joins in, lifting the both of us off the ground, for a group hug. We all laugh together, and somehow Reika sneaks her way into the middle. But I notice that Kaoru hasn't joined in.

"We're so close to the finals." Shinji says. "There's only one more qualification match, and all we got to do is win that."

"Even if we don't win," Reika chips in, "the fact we already have two wins could mean that we've already made it."

"It still doesn't feel real that we're actually winning," I exhale. Being dealt the good hand feels unnatural to me. I don't dare question it, in case it slips away.

* * *

**Kaoru:**   _Since you won't look at me, I'm just going to text you. Not that I expect you to respond. I know what I did was wrong, but just hear me out. Takumi's idea won't work, I know that. It's bad and he's just turning into Raiden, I know that. But maybe, just maybe, I could stop him somehow. Make him see that he's wrong. He's in an emotionally vulnerable place right now. Kenta left him because of this whole Team Liberation thing. Maybe that will make him see the truth. I'm sorry, just please talk to me again._

**Anako:**   _k_

The day after the Team Mantis match, a hoard of duelbots started attacking Riding Duelists. They caused a lot of destruction, and even caused a power outage. The tournament has been delayed for two weeks. Only the top team in each block progresses to the finals, instead of top two. By some stroke of luck, our team was top of our block.

_Team Delta progresses to the finals._

It takes a minute for that to register in my brain as I read the news article. Emiko calls me just to scream down the phone.

It's decided that I'll sit out the first match of the finals against Team Black Baron. I'm not gonna say that I'm  _not_  salty about that, but I knew I had to sit out a match eventually but  _still_ , it's the first match of the finals.

Shinji defeats the first rider and loses to the second, just like last time. Emiko goes out and utterly destroys the remaining two.

Team Delta's odds of winning have greatly increased with every match. Coming into the quarterfinals, we were fourth out of eight. Victory seems tangible now. I'm trying not to think about it too much. Having low expectations is how you stop being disappointed. I go into every match, thinking we're going to lose. It's just easier that way.

"I'm going to tell Yuuka," Kaoru says to me as we leave the stadium. "I think it's time."

"Have you gotten through to him at all?" I ask.

"I think I'm starting to," he nods. "He's putting off planning until the WRGP is over. If I could just push through until then, I stand a chance. That's why I'm telling Yuuka now." There's a pause. "Speaking of her, have you heard from her? Her mind has been silent for like a week now."

"Nah, she's been silent since that day in the medical centre." I sigh. "With all of us." He's silent. "Good luck with that, by the way." I chuckle half-heartedly. "Make sure she doesn't murder either you or Takumi, especially Takumi."

"I'll try my best," he laughs nervously, mainly because he knows that it's a real possibility.

* * *

Apparently, that night, Kaoru and Takumi kissed for the first time. This made Kaoru barge into Yusei's garage, just to talk to her. She took it rather well, surprisingly. Though Kaoru said something about Yuuka having bags under her eyes and looking about a bit older than she did before, this worries me. I think Yuuka has more important things on her plate than Takumi right now. It sounds crazy, but I have a hunch.

Kaoru, fully bitten by the love bug, decides he should go first since it worked so well last time. Team New World have anti-Synchro decks. His ace just happens to  _not_  be a Synchro Monster, which helps his argument. Then, Shinji who's Dragunity deck doesn't entirely focus on Synchros. Finally, it's me since my Spellcaster deck isn't a Synchro deck, well mostly. Emiko sits the match out, since it was her turn anyway, and she relies on her Synchros too much for this duel.

Kaoru summons Judgement Dragon rather quickly into the duel, at the cost of milling an excessive amount. Then, the unthinkable happens.

Kaoru decks out.

Shinji sets out, practically shaking. Kaoru sits on the ground beside his D-Wheel. He leans against it, with his hands grasping his hair to the point of pulling it out. Emiko and I run over to him. He won't listen to us.

"We're going to lose," he repeats to himself, "and it's all my fault."

Shinji instantly loses. We haven't even beaten one of their riders. We're on first rider, Luciano. Shinji comes into the pit, looking a lot worse for wear. His eyes are dead. He hands me the sticker with our logo on it. It's hopeless, his eyes are saying.

He was right.

I lose in two turns. Luciano had set up too much. I- no, we had no chance.

"That's it!" The MC screams over the sound system. "Team Delta have suffered a crushing defeat to Team New World, who progress to the final. The big question is who will face them? Team Ragnarok or Team 5D's? We find out at the last semi-final match tomorrow!"

The world begins to spin around me once I get off my D-Wheel in the pit. It was pointless. All that hard work we've put in. I look at Kaoru, who hasn't moved. They were both right.

Emiko runs towards me. There's tears in her eyes as she hugs me. She pulls away and looks me in the eyes. There's a determination in her eyes. I don't know why. We've lost. There's not a point anymore.

Emiko grabs either side of my face firmly in her hands. She pulls my face forwards, so my lips meet hers. It's a quick kiss, and she practically throws my face away. She's crying, very clearly. The world keeps spinning around me. My mind is trying to process what just happened.

Emiko kissed me.

It wasn't an accident.

She purposely grabbed my face and kissed me.

I don't know what compels me in that moment, but I grab her face and kiss  _her_.

When I pull back, everyone is staring at us like this came out of nowhere. But it didn't. If anyone understands me, it's her. We share a mutual understanding like I've never known. She knows that too, and even responds to it.

Then, everything goes back to the depressing silence as we mourn our run in this tournament. It was good while it lasted. Why does that apply to so many things in my life? We say nothing to each other as we pack up our things. I came here with low expectations. I half expected us to lose all of the qualifying matches. But no, we made the semi-finals. I didn't think we could win the entire thing. But something about coming so close, only to lose, really breaks my spirit.

The tournament is over now. That means I can start to look for my next path, now that this one has closed off. I can handle this. I've done it before, and I can do it again.

* * *

My life is silent until the WRGP Final. Emiko invites me to watch the final with her at her house. She acts like the kiss, or  _kisses_ , never happened. She makes us a big bowl of popcorn and gets some other random snacks. It's Team 5D's versus Team New World, to no one's surprise. The odds to win are in Team New World's favour, especially after our crushing defeat.

Jack Atlas makes quick work of Team's New World's first two riders, Luciano and Placido. Jack Atlas defeated more members of Team New World than our entire team could. Then again, his Scarlet Nova Dragon seems to be the perfect counter.

Team New World's final rider, Jose, comes out onto the track. He then proceeds to fuse with his D-Wheel. Okay, I've seen a lot of weird shit in my life. That must definitely be the weirdest.

"Who would have thought Team New World were a bunch of cyborgs?" Emiko says before she drops an entire handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Why are you being so relaxed about all this?" I turn to her. "Jose literally ran down the track at top speed and fused with his fucking D-Wheel. Don't you think that warrants more than a  _who'd have guessed_?"

"If you don't question things, it makes things a lot easier." Emiko merely shrugs at me. I wonder if that way of thinking has anything to do with her dad being a senator, who is no doubt up to questionable shit.

The duel starts back up, and an infinity symbol glows around Jack and Jose. Jack says something about taking real damage.

"Fucking wild," I say as I actively try not to question what is happening.

"I know right."

Jack and Crow get taken out reasonable quickly once Jose summons his Machine Emperor. Crow sacrifices himself to let Yusei start with an advantage.

Jose starts talking about mankind's foolishness, and a future of ruin. Is this just part of the cyborg thing? Like they're playing it up for the cameras.

Then again, maybe not.

Luciano, Placido and Jose rise into the sky in a bright light. When it clears, a single person- or cyborg- descends and joins with not one, but three, D-Wheels. Apparently, this fucker's called Aporia, and all of Team New World was actually just different parts of him.

"Did you put alcohol in this soda?" I turn to Emiko, very confused. "Because I feel like I'm on some strong ass drugs right now."

"Absolutely none." She whispers, her eyes not moving from the screen.

He speaks about the future he came from. One where Synchro Monsters destroyed everything, leaving him alone in the world. It almost sounds silly, but given the current situation, I have no choice but to believe his words. Our world is, too, destined for that path. Would Yusei winning prevent that? Yusei seems to believe so, and I trust him. No future is set in stone. It's something we create for ourselves.

Yusei summons the aces of Jack and Crow, alongside his own, and takes down Aporia in one swoop. Aporia and his D-Wheel plummet into the Sound, and explode, sending a plume of smoke into the air. With that, Team 5D's wins the WRGP.

"Do you think they did it?" Emiko mutters, staring at the glass in her hands. I look at her, waiting for her to continue. She sighs. "Do you think they saved the future?"

"Of course they did," I say as I try to convince, not just her, but myself.

Emiko says nothing, but instead, tries to finish off our popcorn bowl. There's silence. We don't pay attention to the screen, as it's just post-match talking.

There's a sudden crash. Emiko puts the popcorn bowl on the coffee table, and immediately jumps up.

"That didn't sound like it was in the house," I say as I get up.

The natural light filling the room slowly dims, until the light of the television is the only light source. Emiko grabs my hand and guides me to the front door of the house, turning lights on as she goes.

People have started to gather in the streets of this wealthy suburb. Most of the natural light seems to have vanished, and the street lights have come on in response. Then, I look up. I hear so many screams that I'm not sure which is mine. Emiko clings to me, her entire body pressed against mine.

There is an island in the sky, blocking out the sun. The thin strip of blue sky that separates it and the Neo Domino City skyline is getting ever so slightly smaller.

"We're going to die!" I hear someone scream. "Run!" "It's falling!"

Emiko just stands there, staring at the island. She doesn't move, it doesn't even look like she's breathing. I pull her back inside the house, and we sit on the couch. I hold her in my arms, and we sit in the silence. There's only grey static on the television screen.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

Emiko and I say nothing to each other. I imagine she's thinking of her family, who are somewhere in this City and not at home with her. For a second, I wonder what my parents are doing. But then, I realise that I don't care.

Then, the power goes out.

Emiko begins to cling to me, sobbing. I hold her tighter. Is it better to stay or run? I don't have to think about that for long, since we get the evacuation message. Emiko uses the flashlight on her phone to run up to her room. She stuffs clothes and essentials, along with a piggy bank, into a small bag. She's about to leave the room but turns around to take two photo frames from her desk. The top one is of Team Delta in our uniforms. I catch a glimpse of the second one as she puts it in the bag. It's a picture of herself, Kaoru and Yuuka in their Duel Academy uniforms with big smiles on their faces. In the most critical times, Emiko's mind focuses on her friends. I think that says a lot about her.

We begin to leave the house. I make sure to grab my purse from beside the couch. We follow the crowd leaving the suburb. Emiko has a firm grasp on my hand. I move my hand slightly, so we can intertwine our fingers.

Once we leave the suburbs, we join with the flood of people leaving the City. The island, which they called the Ark Cradle, is moving faster towards the City. The lack of electricity and Moment means that every single person has to evacuate on foot.

I would check the time, but my phone has died. Shinji and Reika are texting Emiko to make sure that the both of us are okay. They're evacuating, and so is Kaoru. Kaoru tells Emiko that Yuuka and the rest of Team 5D's are up in the Ark Cradle. He doesn't say anything more. She must have known this was going to happen. Maybe that's why she's been so distant lately. The Ark Cradle threatening to destroy the entire City is more important than Takumi being an asshole.

I try not to look back at the City, and just keep going forward.

"If we do die," Emiko begins, "I'm glad that you were the one beside me." She looks right at me, and her eyes are glassy like she's about to cry.

"Me too," I respond as I don't know what else to say. I squeeze her hand, and she returns the gesture.

"I am Z-One," a voice booms. The entire crowd looks back to the Ark Cradle. There's a projection all around it. It looks like some sort of machine with a mask. "The Ark Cradle will soon destroy Neo Domino City, and a new future will begin. You will be living witnesses. The sky will be the duel field. Come, Yusei Fudo. Aporia gave his power to that D-Wheel."

Aporia? Didn't he crash into the Sound and die? Why would he help Yusei?

Who is the Z-One? And what does he want?

Right from the start, Z-One seems unbeatable. His Timelords just look too powerful. Yusei manages to summon the aces of Jack, Crow and Aki without much hassle. Because of this, Yusei is able to deal 1500 points of damage to Z-One. Some people around us cheer. We're walking away from the City, but most of us can't help but look back at the projections.

There's silence. Z-One crashed into a set of low hanging buildings in the Ark Cradle, he slowly emerges, and my blood runs cold.

" _Saviour_?" He says. Just from that, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. "Yusei Fudo, you gave the people hope many times before."

"What do you mean?" Yusei asks, sounding as confused as I feel.

"In my future, your heroic tale was...  _inspiring_." The projections in the sky focus on Z-One's mask. It's starting to chip from the damage he just took. Tiny shards start falling away at the cracks. There's a tease of dark, wrinkled skin underneath.

"My heroic tale?" Yusei echoes. The cracks in the mask grow, joining together. Piece by piece, the left side of the mask falls away. I spot the yellow of a marker standing out against the dark skin.

"You're… Z-One, who are you?" Yusei's voice shakes, entirely unsure what to make of this.

"Hm, since you've seen my face, I should answer. Yusei Fudo, I am your future self."

"What?"

"In the future, humanity's yearning for evolution was insatiable, causing Moment to go out of control." Z-One explains. "That was the beginning of everything. Moment is an engine that reads people's desires. Evolution led to evil ideas, such as temptation and greed, taking over people's hearts, so Moment went out of control. It infected the worldwide network with a certain idea. That if nothing changes, the world will be destroyed. Humans are the cause, so they must be eliminated. In order to save that world from destruction, I led the people. You  _are_ me."

Gasps and screams erupt from the crowd. Emiko looks at me, absolutely terrified. I keep a brave face for her.

The projection goes silent as it just focuses on Z-One's and Yusei's faces. Some people stop moving, while some only move quicker. I have to drag Emiko along.

I don't care if Z-One really is Yusei. If his future was that fucked up that he has resorted to destroying the City, then Z-One stopped being Yusei a long time ago. I don't know Yusei that well, but I trust Yuuka to know better.

Things only get worse from there. Z-One summons three Timelords onto his field instead of one. Z-One regains the damage that Yusei just dealt. Yusei goes down to 1500 life points in the blink of an eye.

"No matter what, I won't give up! I do not believe in saving the future by destroying the City! You are not me!"

But despite all that, Yusei refuses to give up.

"I was looking for a way to save the world from destruction. I realised something about the machine army, its power source was Moment. And what powers Moment? The Yusei Particles that were my namesake. They read people's souls, so I knew I had to make people behave morally. But the desires and negative feelings of arrogant people were things that I couldn't change with my own hands. I tried. Believe me, I did. I was Yusei Fudo, the supposed saviour of Neo Domino City. I was a legendary hero who faced all obstacles and never gave up. I knew that I had to become the hero believed me to be."

So, what Z-One is saying that we, the people of the City, caused its destruction in the first place?

"Eventually, my people once again remembered to help each other, understand each other, and the machine army stopped attacking us. I began to feel that the world would be saved. However... There wasn't enough time left to spread the message to everyone. Due to people's negativity, Moment finally started to spin negatively towards destruction. The affected network selected the path of destruction. In the end, I wasn't able to save a single person. I lost that which was most important to me. It wasn't possible to change people's hearts. And I reached my current conclusion. In order to save the world, I must erase the Moment that our father created and Neo Domino City from history."

The world really is doomed.

Z-One summons five Timelords to his field. Are we destined to always follow that path towards destruction? People are still as shitty as they were then.

Yusei asks why Z-One went down that path.  _He lost Yuuka_  is what he says. Z-One's Yuuka died, and that's why he is the way he is now. The loss was too big for him, he was alone in the world. He concluded that changing the past was the only way to save the future.

Yusei, barely, survives the attacks of the five Timelords.

Everything feels so grim. Barely anyone cheered when Yusei survived an attack after it looked like he would lose. Emiko clings me, not saying a word.

"I would congratulate you for surviving, but you have little time left." Z-One says. "The Ark Cradle will soon collide with Neo Domino City, destroying that detestable Moment." Just as he says it, a building dislodges itself from the Ark Cradle hits the City.

People begin to scream as a giant dust cloud flies up into the air. I start coughing. The city centre may seem far away from where we are now, but it isn't. If the Ark Cradle falls right now, the resulting destruction would take out every single person evacuating right now.

Another building falls.

I hear children crying for their mothers.

Emiko stops entirely. She looks at me, as if she's just given up. The situation is hopeless, her eyes tell me. Yusei can't win. For a second, it feels like I'm in her shoes when we were at the stadium. I grab her face and kiss her, getting the attention of the people around us.

"You can't give up here," I whisper. "I need you. Let's keep going." She nods slowly. She takes my hand, and slowly interweaves her fingers with mine.

"Okay," she mutters as she tries not to cry.

We keep moving. I can't tell who's going to win this duel anymore. Hopefully we'll be far enough from the City by the time Ark Cradle falls that we won't instantly die.

"Even if Moment vanishes from history, if humanity's evolution leads to desire and temptation, there's no difference from the future you lived in! Can you still say that the world is saved? In order to truly save the future, everyone's hearts must move in the correct direction, and we must create a future where we can flourish together with Moment!" Yusei raises a clenched fist. "If we don't save the present, then the future won't be saved either! We won't be able to save anyone." He stretches his arm straight out to point at Z-One. "Isn't that right, Z-One? I will find a way to save the future!" There's a pause. "I know now," Yusei continues, "I'm not carrying the burden of destiny alone. Everyone in the City is rooting for me. They are giving me power. I see!" He shoots right up beyond the Ark Cradle. "In order to surpass my own limits, I can't do it with just my own power! I must unite my friends' thoughts and form our bond. The bond between Team 5D's make that possible!"

Yusei tunes all of Team 5D's aces, summoning a new monster, Shooting Quasar Dragon. The monster takes out all five of Z-One's Timelords, at the cost of itself. It leaves Shooting Star Dragon in its place, and Z-One with 700 life points.

"A counterattack straight from the soul!" I hear a voice shouting. Could that be the MC from the WRGP? "A surging wave of six attacks! See that, Z-One? This is Yusei's... I mean, Team 5D's inner strength! Z-One has 700 life points left! Win for us, Yusei! The future of Neo Domino City rests on your shoulders!"

The entire crowd has come to a halt. Everyone's eyes are on the projections. Somehow, Yusei has inspired  _hope_ in us. Almost as if he had broken open the door to a better future right in front of us.

Then, just as the smoke clears, there's another door waiting.

Z-One summons his ultimate ace, Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord, who's attack points shoot up to 20000, when four other Timelords are summoned.

"I haven't given up on my future yet!" Yusei shouts over the wailing of the crowd around me.

Yusei activates a trap that lets him summon Stardust Dragon, and lets it gain attack points for every Dragon-Type Synchro Monsters in his grave. The dragon grows to a magnificent size as it reaches 23000 attack points.

The other Timelords attack like a shield for Sephylon. Stardust Dragon break through that shield, one Timelord at a time. As the final attack lands, Yusei wins the duel. The impact of the attack sends Z-One flying, a fiery explosion ruptures from where he landed.

"It's finally over!" I hear the MC roar. "A miraculous duel! With a miraculous huge come-from-behind victory, leading to Neo Domino City to our future is our hero, Yusei Fudo!"

The joy, in that exact moment among the crowd, is indescribable. Everyone is cheering so loud that it hurts my ears. People are hugging each other, even people they don't know. Emiko practically throws herself at me, crying. She shakes me, saying that everything will be okay. Did Yusei really just tear open a door to a better future?

Then, as soon as that new future shined, it dimmed just as quickly. The rainbow light that was being emitted from the Ark Cradle disappears entirely. I think it may just be the Ark Cradle stopping once and for all, but I was wrong. The Ark Cradle itself begins to rumble. The buildings that cling to it begin to slide down. Chunks of debris fall, hitting the Neo Domino City skyline.

So much for saving the future.

The crowd screams and begins to run. I grab Emiko and run with them. I run so fast that she nearly falls a few times.

"Stop!" Emiko yells at me. I stop, letting her catch her breath. "I can't believe I'm going to die a virgin!" She cries.

"The City is about to be destroyed!" I yell back. "Why do you care about your stupid virginity?"

"Because I wanted my first time to be special!" Tears come to her eyes. "Now I'll never know that intimacy!"

"Okay, if we survive this, we can have sex." I scoff. "Now you have to run to survive."

"But if we do that, we need to be dating." She blinks awkwardly at me. "I don't want to have sex with someone I'm not going out with."

"Sure, we can do that." I don't think about what that means in that moment, I just want to run as fast as I can. "Now,  _let's go_."

"Okay, can I have a kiss first?" She looks at me with a smile, as if we won't die any moment.

Then, I realise what she just asked me. Her smiles means that she meant it.

"I love you, Anako." She puts a hand up to her eye, in an attempt to stop herself crying. "I don't care if the world ends, as long as I have you."

I used to regret coming back to this City. Until now, it's only brought me heartbreak, pain and confusion. Just being here means I could die any moment.

But now, having this beautiful girl standing in front of me, looking at me with nothing but  _pure love_  in her eyes. Somehow, that makes everything up until this exact moment in my life  _worth it_.

"I love you," I mutter before kissing her, and that somehow begins to turn into a make out session in a crowd when we could die at any moment. Then, the cheering starts. We break apart very suddenly, both of us gasping for air. I mean it wasn't a typical romantic declaration of love, but any light in a dark situation is needed.

Then, I realise that no one is looking at us.

I'm able to look clean over Emiko's head. She sees me looking and turns around. The Ark Cradle is simply fading away, allowing the first daylight to shine. Emiko turns around and keeps kissing me. I'm not complaining, honestly.

As soon as she lets go of my face, she grabs my hand and we run through the crowd. We pass Kaoru and Takumi, they call out to us. Emiko barely stops to say hello before running off again. I can't but laugh at my girlfriend and her determination to get back as soon as possible.  _My girlfriend_ , how sweet those words seem to me.

* * *

After the whole Ark Cradle incident, the City takes a while to get back up and running. There's damage to skyscrapers in the central district, alongside the rubble of the same skyscrapers that fell from the Ark Cradle. Aside from that, the City was relatively unharmed.

Our friends are all okay. Some people are more than okay. Kaoru and Emiko are practically singing with joy. Then, Kaoru realises that he hasn't heard from Yuuka at all. Considering when she was supposedly up there when it disappeared, I suggest that he should check if she's okay. He knows she's alive, he can tell that much. But he can't hear her thoughts, she turned off the connection before going into the Ark Cradle. Kaoru says that she was expecting to die. The Ark Cradle continued to fall after Yusei won the duel against Z-One, I wonder if she was anticipating that.

Kaoru goes over to Yusei's place to check up on her. A few hours later, Emiko and I get added to a group chat that's full of Yuuka's friends by Kaoru.

**Crow:**   _Hey everyone, Yuuka's gone missing. She ran out of our place a few hours ago. If everyone could look for her, that would be much appreciated._

**Kaoru:**   _I think something happened to her, please help if you can._

Various people answer to the chat, saying that they'll help. We do the same and start looking. The sun's just gone down. Yuuka must be missing a long time, I think she must have ran out when Kaoru went to see her. I start texting Kaoru to see what happened. Apparently, she's very shaken after everything and she ran off after he made a comment about Z-One. Kaoru noticed one thing, she couldn't look in Yusei's direction at all. That explains everything. Z-One being Yusei must be messing with her head, big time.

"I hope she's okay," Emiko whispers as we walk around the Daimon Area, having already checked the Docklands.

I think about the possibility that she tried to kill herself again. It's definitely likely, given her history. Judging by how worried Kaoru is, I imagine he's thinking the same.

"Me too," I mutter back.

Our phones buzz simultaneously. We stare at each other for a few seconds before opening the message.

**Kaoru:** _Yuuka's okay, she's on her way back to Poppo Time._

I sigh in relief. Emiko's looking at me, but I keep my gaze on the message.

The last time Yuuka killed herself, I ran to her side.

She didn't want or need me there, I know that now.

Why should I run to her side now? Yuuka is my friend, and I love her only in that way. I don't think I love her enough to do that again.

Emiko slides her hand into my limp hand at my side. I feel her warmth, and I made up my mind.

"Will we go to Poppo Time?" She asks softly.

"No," I reply. She looks at me weirdly. "We're not what she needs right now." Her face softens, and she nods.

I text Shinji, saying that I'm just going home. He says that he's doing the same. He repeats my own words back to me,  _we're not what she needs right now_. It's amazing how wise Shinji is sometimes. He called Yusei when Yuuka last attempted, he knew that's what she needed. I'm starting to think that Shinji knows Yuuka better than she knows herself.

Maybe that means, I'm wiser than I thought.

* * *

The next time I see Yuuka is for the Key to the City ceremony. Emiko says that the government needed to give Yusei something for defeating Z-One and stopping the Ark Cradle. Yuuka's hair has suddenly grown so it sits at her waist, she says that her powers caused it to grow. Ironically, I chopped all of my hair off, so I have a little bob. I decided to chop off all of my hair. I feel like I've turned over a new leaf in my life, and I decided to celebrate it. I've let go of Yuuka after so long, and I managed to get myself a girlfriend. Also, coming out as a lesbian to people. No one seems overly surprised. Though, Yuuka was surprised that Emiko and I are dating. Then again, she thought Kaoru was straight for years, so she's an exception.

Since Emiko's dad is a politician, he manages to get us invited. Mostly because he knows Yuuka as well. Unfortunately, since she's accompanying the guest of honour, we can't sit with her for the ceremony.

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereof." The senator has barely spoken, and the crowd is deathly silent. "Our city has faced many challenges over these few short months. The challenge in accepting a long-lost sector of city back into our open arms. Creating the World Riding Duel Grand Prix, elevating our homegrown talent to a world stage. The onslaught of the dueling robots known as Diablo. Finally, the Ark Cradle threatening to fall and destroy our City. But, look, we are still standing here strong today. We, as one unified people, overcame everything together. A special mention goes to our police force and a select few brave citizens. We will continue to face our uncertain future together. We will fight any obstacle in our way, the same way we have done everything else, together." There's some clapping from the audience. "Today, we are gathered to bestow a great honour to a brave citizen. The Key to the City is given to a valued member of our community, for a heroic service to our community. There are many individuals in this room to whom we could give this award, but today, we give this award to one brave man in particular. He faced immeasurable odds on our behalf. He fought with his life on the line to guarantee a better future for us all. Because of this man, we all here to fight another day for a better future. This man, born in the Satellite, fought for equality for the people of the Satellite, resulting in the construction of the bridge that connects our own City to the Satellite. Now, he has saved our people once again. Welcome to the stage, Yusei Fudo!"

There's a thunderous applause. Yusei slowly stands up. He waves to the crowd awkwardly and makes his way onto the stage. The senator opens the decorative box containing the key, which is only a symbol if anything. He shakes Yusei's hand while handing him the box with the other hand. His eyes are firmly placed on the crowd as the flash of cameras sound. The audience continues to clap, with a few cheers. The senator comes back to life as he stops posing for the cameras. He gestures from Yusei to the giant podium beside them. Yusei looks between the senator and the podium, and then to the front row of the audience. Finally, he cautiously stands up at the podium.

"Thank you, Senator Takahashi and everyone, for this award. I feel undeserving of this award." I hear sharp intakes of breath from the crowd around me. Emiko looks at me, confused, mirroring what I imagine is my own expression. "This award was presented to me, but it could have been given to any number of people. I am being given this award because I dueled Z-One in an attempt to save the City. I could not have won that duel without the help from my Team 5D's teammates. They are just as deserving of this award as me. Anyone could have taken my place. I just wanted to save my home, Neo Domino City. Who's to say that anyone here wouldn't have done the same in my place?" Yusei looks down at the front row again. There's a beat of silence. "Neo Domino City, if I may be honest, I did not save the City." Audible gasps sound around me. I feel Yuuka's aura spike in the front row, since her aura is now far more powerful than it ever was before. Is that why she was so shaken by the Ark Cradle? "I dueled Z-One. I may have won the duel, but I did not save the City. The Ark Cradle continued to fall. Z-One, as his last act in this world, gave up his life to stop it from falling. With that, he allowed us to take our future with our own hands. I was not the one who convinced Z-One to let us take control of our future." There's a beat of silence. "Yuuka Sasaki. She was the one who saved the City. She did what I could not. She saved the City, not with Duel Monsters, but with her courage and words. She is the one deserving of this award."

The room is dead silent. Senator Takahashi exchanges nervous glances with the other senators at the front of the crowd. There's some mutters as Senator Takahashi suddenly nods his head. He makes a move towards the podium. Yusei steps down, waiting just a few steps away from it.

"Thank you, Mr. Fudo, for your speech. My colleagues and I agree that your bravery in the face of such danger in your fight for all of our futures is still warranting of this award. But, we invite Ms. Sasaki to speak if she wishes."

Emiko's hand flies to hold my own. Our eyes are firmly fixed on the head of light blonde hair in the front row, barely visible from where we are. Everyone's holding their breath, waiting for Yuuka to move. Yusei looks positively sickly on that stage. I doubt he expected this would happen. Then, Yuuka stands up.

"Welcome Ms. Yuuka Sasaki to the stage." The crowd erupts into a thunderous applause. Yusei smiles at Yuuka once she gets onto the stage. Senator Takahashi gives Yuuka his hand to help her up to the podium. She takes a deep breath, and there's a beat of silence. Despite her calm exterior, I can tell she's panicking. I can feel the prickle of her aura, even from where I'm sitting.

"People of Neo Domino City," she begins, "I hesitate to call myself the saviour of this City. I am only a normal girl from the Satellite. I grew up in this City, it's shaped me into the person who stands before you now. Everything I've experienced here has led me to where I am now, to say those words to Z-One when I stood on the Ark Cradle as it fell. I agree with Yusei. Anyone here in this room could have saved this City. I am not unique. I am ordinary, unimportant. I am undeserving of the attention which you give me now. Anyone from this City, who's been where I have been, who's felt what I have felt, could have said those same words. I love this City. If any of you listening, love this City like I do, you could have been here instead of me. All of you are just as deserving as me of that title. As for the uncertain future, you will, no doubt, look to us. We saved you once, so we can save you again. That thought will surely cross your minds. But I say this to you, do not ask us to save you,  _ask each other_." She takes another deep breath. "I think we are all deserving of that title. Every single person has the chance to change fate. You must grasp it with your own hands. You can prevent another Z-One from rising again. Saving only one person could change everyone's future. If someone had saved Z-One in his doomed future, I would not be speaking in front of you now. The only way to prevent the terrible future Z-One spoke of is to change our future. It is shaped by the people who are here now, not just a team of duelists. If you believe there is a future, you must fight for it. I ask of you, people of Neo Domino, become your own saviour. Together, we can change the future." She looks back at Yusei, who smiles at her. "When they call out Yusei's name, or my name, saying that we are the saviours of this City. Know that we are only thinking of you. We are not the only saviours, each and every one of you is able to be someone's saviour. That is enough. You only need to look at me to see that is true. Thank you."

Yuuka exhales deeply, as her shoulders shake a little. I hear a slow clap coming from somewhere in the audience. I turn my head around to see who it is. I'm only able to catch a glance, but someone else stands up to clap, blocking my view. I don't need to look long to know who it is. Emiko stops clapping to put a hand on my arm. She looks at me with worried eyes. I just shake my head and start clapping. Yuuka bows slightly before stepping off the podium.

"Thank you, Ms. Sasaki, for your words." Senator Takahashi says as he returns to the podium. "That marks the end of the ceremony. We cordially invite you into the reception for the afterparty." The audience claps again. Then, it dissipates as everyone begins to stand up.

"What's going on?" Emiko asks me as we enter the reception, our arms linked.

"I think I just saw Raiden," I mutter just loud enough so she hears me.

"Wait,  _that_  Raiden?" Her eyebrows furrow as I nod slowly. Her entire body tenses like she's ready to fight Raiden right then and there.

"I can't see him, don't worry." I pat her arm affectionately. "And he can't hurt Yuuka because I think she's gone for interviews."

Kaoru told me that Raiden was back in the City. He met him not that long ago, when he came to talk to Yuuka about something. Raiden worked for Z-One up in the Ark Cradle. He tried to kill Yuuka because she left him, causing him to lose everything. Apparently, he's seen the error of his ways, but I doubt he's changed that quickly. I thought I'd never see him again, and now I have the chance. I don't know how to feel.

My eyes immediately go to the waiters going around the room with trays of champagne glasses. Some people have started dancing in the middle of the room to the light classical music that's started playing. Emiko starts to pull me towards the centre of the room, with a grin on her face. She stops us in the dead centre of the room. She puts my hand on her waist and grabs my other hand in her own. She puts her other hand on my shoulder, as we start to sway to the music.

"I'm glad my dad likes you." Emiko chuckles. I met him a few days ago. He asked if Emiko wanted to bring a friend to the ceremony. While he was talking about Kaoru, Emiko decided this would be the perfect time to bring up the fact that she got a girlfriend. So naturally, they invited me over for dinner. My mom seemed more enthusiastic about the prospect than her dad, but I've gotten the impression that her dad doesn't have many emotions to begin with.

"Me too, I thought that he'd hate me." I sigh. She asks me why. "Well, me being a psychic, and something of an activist. My type doesn't really mix well with politicians."

"I suppose that's true," she hums. "A few years ago, he might have. He's become better in the last few years. He seems to be one of the more  _open-minded_  senators." I notice her choosing her words carefully. "He was one of the few senators that were for Satellite unification."

"That's good, but he likes me though?"

"Seems like it," she nods, "I mean, he hasn't said anything bad."

"I'll happily take that."

We keep dancing for a while, just content to live in the moment. I notice Emiko's dad dancing with Yuuka, they seem to be talking about something serious. Emiko notices it too but doesn't say anything. Emiko's dad knows Yuuka well. The dance was probably just a nice gesture now that she's the saviour of the City. It feels weird to think of that. That shy, scrawny kid I saved in the Daimon Area has now saved the City. I'm proud of her. It's taken a lot of struggle for her to get to this point.

It's taken a lot of struggle for me to get to this point.

The only question is where do I go from here?

Emiko's dad leaves Yuuka's side, only to be immediately replaced by Raiden. I tense, and so does Emiko. She doesn't know what Raiden looks like, but I imagine she's put the pieces together. I'm trying to figure out if I should go over there or not. Yuuka looks uncomfortable, but so does Raiden which makes things harder.

"Don't go over just yet," Emiko whispers. "They look like they need to talk."

I decide that she's right, and we continue dancing. That is until I hear the clinking of glass trying to get attention.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Senator Takahashi proclaims from the entrance to the main hall. "In addition to the Key to the City, we are going to celebrate both Mr. Fudo's and Ms. Sasaki's bravery and courage even further." I hear mumbles in the crowd. Emiko looks at me with a confused face. "My fellow Senators and I would like to announce something here and now to honour our saviours. We are pleased to announce that the education system, proposed by Ms. Sasaki, shall be put into action. This system will allow any former Satellite resident to the right to free education. The government will give aid to any Satellite who wishes to start their education. It will allow a Satellite resident to begin their education at any stage, even third-level university, if they so wish."

There's applause. Emiko's eyes widen, like she's heard the idea somewhere before.

"Not only this, but the government will be drafting bills to stop any discrimination against former Satellite residents and psychic duelists inside our City. No former Satellite resident or psychic shall ever be discriminated against based on their former residence or ability to materialise Duel Monsters."

My hands clasp Emiko's firmly, as the crowds claps again. An anti-discriminatory bill for psychics? Surely, they wouldn't know that Yuuka is a psychic, unless she… Did Yuuka somehow pull the political move of the century?

"Now, let us raise a glass to the woman who made this possible. To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki! Long may our saviour queen reign! To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki!"

"To Yuuka!" The crowd drones around us. I think she just did, if that was her condition for becoming the  _Saviour Queen of Neo Domino City_. Not too long ago she was called the Fabled Queen of Neo Domino, now she's a true queen.

"Let's go outside," Emiko takes me by the hand and leads me outside. Not like I had much choice in the matter. I notice that pretty much everyone outside is smoking. Emiko pulls in her dress and sits down on the steps in front of the city hall, so I join her.

"Now why did you pull me outside?" I ask.

"Listen," she says definitively. "I know you're scared to see Raiden here. But you need to say something to him, tell him how you feel." She reaches over and grabs both of my hands. "You'll have to do this alone but know that I'll be waiting for you to finish."

"But-"

"I'll give you a kiss if you do it."

"Fine," I say as if I weren't already going to say yes.

"Good girl." She says before kissing me on my cheek. She hugs me my arm and leans on my shoulder. The cool breeze feels nice on my skin. I can feel goosebumps on Emiko's arms, but she seems content where she is.

We stay outside for a while, just enjoying the night air. The sun has set, and we're enjoying that last bit of light before it becomes dark.

"We should probably go back inside," Emiko mutters into my shoulder. "You don't want to miss Raiden." She practically jumps up and offers me her hand. I take it, standing up and brushing off my dress.

We hold hands as we walk back into the reception area. I spot Yuuka's bright red dress in the middle of the crowd. She's standing facing Raiden, who has our back to us. Emiko lets go of my hand, and grabs onto my arm. I look at her, she nods before disappearing into the crowd.

Raiden begins to walk away. I hide just outside the doorway and take a deep breath. I see him walk right out the door.

"Raiden," I call out to him. He stops in his tracks and turns around slowly to look at me. I see genuine surprise in his eyes.

"Anako?" He squints slightly at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the exact reason you are, for Yuuka."

"She'll never choose you." He sneers. "She loves Yusei too much."

"I know that, Raiden." I sigh. "Sometimes people don't want or need you, and that's okay. I know this, but it seems like you don't."

"What are you doing back in this City?" He scoffs, ignoring my jab. "I thought I told you to leave."

"You don't control me, Raiden." I start walking towards him. "You can't control anyone, not anymore. I am not afraid of you. I will not bend to your will. I came back to protect Yuuka from you. And guess what? It was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I have a beautiful girlfriend, friends who care for me and I care for them just as much. I made my own decision for once in my life, and now I get to rub it in your face."

"What are you going to do now?" He looks at me wide eyed. I stand on the step above him, so I can see his eyes clearly.

"Raiden, you tried to kill Yuuka and destroy the City. You abused her, you tried to ruin my life. You manipulated everyone around you in an attempt to take over the City."

"But-"

"Neo Domino City has no place for traitors, Raiden." I repeat his words right back at him.

"So, what happens now?"

"You will leave this City. You will leave and  _not_  come back. Do you understand me?"

His face falls as he realises where those words came from. His mouth moves like he's going to say something.

"Don't," I exhale.

He nods slowly. He begins to walk down the steps. Once he reaches the bottom, he looks back at me one last time. I wait there, staring at him. I see his shoulders slump. He hails a taxi and it drives off. I wait until I can no longer see the taxi, before going back inside.

* * *

Yuuka makes international news the next day. She doesn't leave the house for the next few days. Whenever she does, she has people taking pictures with her.

Then, she texts me out of the blue. She asks me to teach her to control her powers, just like I did with Kaoru. She tells me that her powers have suddenly gone out of control, which is why her hair grew out. Something to do with the Ark Cradle, that's all she says about it. She said that every time she has a very strong emotion, the power blows. She's crashed a water cooler, shrivelled up a bush and broken a few glasses of water too. It sounds horrible to be honest. The poor girl already has a lot on her plate.

The weather's picked up a bit, so I bring her and Emiko to the park for our training. I start explaining my whole theory about having the aura spread out. I ask Yuuka where her powers are concentrated. Just like I imagined, Yuuka gives the same answers as Kaoru, her chest and hands.

"Take a deep breath in and close your eyes." I guide her through the motions. "Focus on everything around you. Focus on your aura. Feel it moving through your body. Push it from your core, into your arms and down into your fingertips. Now, take a deep breath. Now, push your aura down into your legs and your feet." Yuuka starts to tell me about the tingling sensations that she's getting.

"So, I have a question." Emiko interrupts.

"And this is the time to ask it," Yuuka sighs without opening her eyes. I give Emiko a look, since Yuuka does have a point. Emiko came along cause she wanted to see Yuuka, since no one sees Yuuka nowadays.

"I just want to know what Z-One was like." Emiko speaks very slowly, as if she's unsure of what Yuuka's reaction will be. Yuuka's eyes snap open. "I wanted to know if he died, because I wanted him to." Yuuka flinches ever so slightly. "But Kaoru told me to ask you that instead."

There's a pause.

"Well, he was just like anyone I suppose." She sighs as she starts picking at the blades of grass underneath her. "He was just a normal guy before everything happened. He was a lot like my Yusei, but that's to be expected. But, they're still different people. That's the one thing to take away, I guess."

"How does it feel when people say that Z-One deserved to die?" Emiko keeps prodding. Yuuka hasn't told us much detail, and neither has Kaoru. Everyone's being left in the dark as to what exactly happened, and I think that's the point. I think the night Yuuka went missing is still in Emiko's mind. Kaoru said a comment about Z-One set her off. "I can't imagine that's easy."

"It's not easy, you're right." She exhales through her nose. "I remember the first time I heard someone say it, I ran off in a huff." That means Kaoru said that Z-One deserved to die. "Now, I just try to explain why you can't say that about him. He may have lost his way, but he was still human before everything happened. It wasn't a hatred of humanity or this City that led him to that. It was trauma, and a  _love_  of his City."

"That doesn't excuse what he did." I feel myself frowning, but I can't help it. Yuuka excusing someone else's behaviour has gotten her into some bad situations before. Raiden may be gone, but that problem is not.

"I know that, but it explains it." In that moment, I see the age in her eyes. She's seen some things in her life. I think she's put the whole Raiden thing into perspective.

"Also, why did you never tell me about Raiden?" I squint at her. I would have expected that she would have told me, considering we've had somewhat similar experiences. "Because I ran into him after the party. Apparently, you said no when he asked you to set up a school for psychics with him." I learnt about the school from Shinji and Kaoru, who overheard that detail.

"Yeah, and?" I feel my aura flare.

"I mean, you should have said no, but, I thought you would have at least told me." I snap back.

"Sorry about that," she says as she scratches the back of her neck. "I assumed you would have ran into him, he was there from the beginning of the party if my memory serves me right."

I suppose Yuuka had more than enough on her mind that night. Considering he left for good afterwards, bringing him up wouldn't have done much good. I feel a bit bad for snapping at her. With Yuuka, you have to consider the context. She's not normal by any stretch of the imagination.

"What are you going to do, now that Raiden's gone?" I tilt my head, moving the conversation along. "I mean, your entire life since you joined gangs has kinda been revolving around him, if you think about it."

I know Yuuka is going to try to join the police force with Kaoru. But moving on with your life requires more than just getting a new job. Now that there's no gangs, Raiden or Ark Cradle, Yuuka's entire life will change, not to mention her newfound fame.

Of course, that brings up the question of what I'm going to do. To which, I have no answer. For now, I'm still living in Reika's despite being there for nearly a year, while continuing with my job at the psychic helpline. It may be depressing but I'm getting by.

"I have thought about it." Yuuka cringes slightly. "I'm just gonna get on with my life, since it's the only thing I can do."

"I suppose you're right." I look down at my hands. She is right, but how will I go about it? "Are we going to continue?"

Then, it hits me.

This is how I'm going to continue.

Helping psychics is what I was meant to do. That's what I have been doing, that's what I'm doing now. Ever since I joined Black Flag, I've been unknowingly progressing down this path.

I want to help all the psychics out there. I don't want to say it, but I think Raiden had the right idea of setting up a school for psychics.

I don't know how I'll do it. But I want to become a teacher, so I can help every fledgling psychic out there. I want to let them know that they're not alone. That things get better, regardless of how things look right now. That's my path.

* * *

Emiko accepts an invitation to a dueling league in England. Everyone on Team Delta got an invitation, but she's the only one who went professional in the end. Professional dueling isn't my thing. She's going to move over after she graduates, which gives us a few months. She finds teaching courses for me near where she'll be living. I don't say anything and look at it just to make her happy.

"Emiko, I can't leave this City." I say as I finally gather up the courage to tell her. "For so long, I was afraid to come back here. I was banned from this City. But things are different now. I want to live in Neo Domino City, because  _no one can make me leave_."

She accepts my decision, with a few tears. She tells me that the league only runs for part of the year, so she can stay with me during the summer. Even though she'll be nine hours behind my time, she insists that we'll text and call lots. She'll stay up all night if she has to, that's what she says about the time difference. It actually makes me cry, knowing someone cares that much about me.

Shinji and Reika are planning to open their new garage soon. They've been saving up for this for a long time. They offer me a part-time on the tills, just so I'd have a bit of cash while I'm at university. While I'll be getting financial support when I'm studying anyway, the gesture was appreciated.

Then suddenly, Reika tells me that she's moving away from her house and into an apartment with Shinji. I get worried for a second, since I'm living with her and her mother in their house.

"What are you talking about?" Shinji asks as I start to freak out. "Did you honestly think we were going to get an apartment without an Anako room?"

"Anako," Reika chuckles, "it's a two-bed apartment and we want you to come with us."

Then, I start crying. Sobbing, if I'm being honest. Shinji and Reika laugh at me, while they're trying to comfort me.

I've been thrown out on my ass so many times, that I just expected it to happen again. I don't need to have a suitcase already packed, ready to go, not anymore. I don't think they quite realise what that gesture means to me.

Living with both Shinji and Reika is interesting. Especially when I know that both of them are planning to propose to the other at the same time, and the other doesn't know about it. Shinji asked Yuuka to be best man, a strange decision but no one could fill that role other than her. Reika asks me to be maid of honour. They end up pulling out the engagement rings at the same time. They told me that there were many tears. Those two are so cute, it's almost enviable. Then, I remember that Reika is asexual, so they don't really do the nasty, and then I'm not so jealous anymore.

Yuuka and Kaoru both get the police force, to no one's surprise really. Though Yuuka being the number one applicant while being  _the Saviour Queen_  is a little suspicious, but I don't say anything to save her pride.

Emiko leaves not too long after that. It's hard for the first while, but we get a routine going. I love her to bits, I really do. She brings so much light into my life.

University is a lot of fun. I end up doing teaching placements at  _the_  Duel Academy. All of the psychics I tell start laughing. If I wanted to teach psychics, that is the place to be ironically. Then, I realise that Yuuka, Kaoru  _and_  Aki have all gone there, which makes  _me_  laugh.

Surprisingly, Kaoru was right in the end. Once the whole gang thing wrapped up, Yuuka would have a lot more free time that I'd be able to spend with her. We have weekly brunches together, at a little place a few minutes' walk from the university. That's mostly because her apartment is right beside it. Meanwhile, I have to drive, on the custom D-Wheel that Reika made for me, to university every morning. I even get wrapped up in the wild nights out that Yuuka has with Shinji and Takumi. Because of them, I can't bear the smell of tequila anymore.

I was right in what I told Raiden. Coming back to this City was the best decision I have ever made in my life. It was the first decision I ever truly made myself, and it was worth it. I suppose, regardless of what life has thrown at me, it always gets better. As long as you put the work in and have a bit of hope, it gets better.

* * *

Shinji and Reika's wedding comes around quickly. They have a black and red colour scheme, because of course they do. There was a reason that this was also the Team Delta colours too. I find a beautiful red dress with a black sash, which the theme perfectly. The bridesmaids don't get the sash, which sets me apart. Yuuka gets a black tux, which she's very happy about. Reika got a somewhat plain wedding dress, but its simplicity suits her down to the ground.

Yuuka and I end up planning most of the wedding. Everyone's starting to predict who will be the next one to get married. Most people's guesses are Yuuka and Yusei. She makes this face like it's unlikely, and glances at Yusei when he's around. I think she wants to be proposed to, but Yusei's not going to in the near future. She mumbles something about them not being old enough yet, and she doesn't say more than that. Her guess is Kaoru and Takumi. That's a fair guess now that I think about it. They moved in together around the same time that Yuuka and Yusei did, even though they had been dating for like six months. Then again, they act like they've been together longer than that.

They have small wedding in a country hotel with great mountain views. They invite friends and close family only. Though, I do notice that Shinji didn't invite his aunt, Raiden's mother, or Raiden. Good thing, they're both terrible people. Shinji's mother seems very happy that they're not here. The ceremony is simple but beautiful. Afterwards, we move to the reception.

My maid of honour speech is quite beautiful, I must say. I talk about how much Reika and Shinji mean to me, how they're perfect for each other, and how I wish them nothing but happiness. Then, Yuuka gets on the stage to tell funny anecdotes about Shinji. It's times like those I think it's best that Yuuka and I never dated.

Once the speeches are over, Shinji and Reika begin their trek around the room to thank everyone for coming. Yuuka and I start talking about the venue. The views truly are beautiful here, I wouldn't mind having my own wedding here someday. I wouldn't go through with that, because Shinji and Reika got married here, but still.

We notice Kaoru, Takumi and Yusei talking on the other side of the room, so we go over to join them. I notice Emiko chatting away with Miguel and Kenta.

"So, you're next, right?" Takumi raises his eyebrows at Yusei as he sips his champagne.

"Can we please stop this already?" Yuuka groans. "I don't think we have much control over that, unless we start planning now."

"What are you waiting for then?" Takumi shrugs his shoulders.

"I've already told you, shut up. But if anything, you'll be the next ones to get married." Yuuka raises her eyebrows right back at him.

"Yuuka, I thought you said that lesbian relationships move faster." Even though Kaoru said Yuuka's name, he's looking right at me.

"Hey, if I'm getting married, I don't want to be long distance." I roll my eyes. Emiko's trying to look into transferring to a dueling league based in Japan. At least then she'd be in the same country, and not on the other side of the world.

"Now that we're talking about this, I bet the next people will be Kenta and Miguel." Yusei chips in. Yuuka nods like that seems entirely plausible. I mean, I wouldn't be totally surprised if that happened.

"When are they bring out the food because I'm so hungry-"

We're interrupted by three champagne glasses exploding in our hands. Everyone's eyes go to Yuuka, who's looking into the distance with the most uncomfortable yet angry expression I've ever seen. I follow her gaze to see Shinji and Reika talking to Raiden on the other side of the room. Raiden makes direct eye contact with me.

Everyone else tries to calm Yuuka down and get the glass shards out of her hand. I dart across the room, leaving my broken champagne glasses on the table beside us. Raiden sees me coming, so he leaves the reception area. I follow him, so that we're outside the hotel.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him. "You weren't invited."

"Geez, you show up to your cousin's wedding and suddenly you're the bad guy." He exhales smoke from the cigarette he just lit.

"You were the bad guy long before that, and you know it." I squint at him. "You're just here to see Yuuka again, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?"

"Raiden," I sigh. "She doesn't want you or need you. You can't keep chasing someone when they don't want you."

"Then, what am I supposed to do with my life?"

"Move on, there's more to life than her." He looks at me like I'll never understand him. If only he knew. "I gave her up. I knew she'd never want me the way I wanted her. Every single day, I'm grateful that I did. I'm happy now, Raiden. But you will never be."

"You don't understand, you never will-"

"Oh, I do, Raiden." I furrow my eyebrows. "You just can't accept the fact that you lost." I see genuine surprise on Raiden's face, and maybe a little vulnerability. Once I would have cared about that, it was hard to get that from him. But I can no longer care. "You didn't come in second place, Raiden. You were never playing the same game."

"So, what happens now-"

"Goodbye Raiden." I say those words so definitively that I feel stronger just from saying them. "For good."

Raiden says nothing. He throws his cigarette on the ground, barely used, and stomps out the flame. I watch him walk away from me until he's out of sight. I think he's finally gone from our lives. Maybe, one day, he'll accept that he lost. It's a hard truth to accept, but you just need to deal with it. I did it, and I'm okay now.

"Emiko, you can come out now." I say out loud, well aware of the fact that she can hear me. She must have slipped out behind me but stayed out of sight.

"You saw me?"

"No, but I knew you were there."

She walks over to me shyly, and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug. The warmth of her body feels nice, as I wrap my arms around her tiny waist.

"I'm proud of you," she mutters into my neck. "You're so strong, and you've survived so much. I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper back.

While I hold Emiko in my arms, I think about what our wedding will look like. But somehow, all I can think about is how her face will look as she smiles at me with tears in her eyes.

I fought to get here. I struggle through blood, sweat and lots of tears. Somehow, all that suffering has led me to her. She's like my reward for having put up with all of the shit in my life. It was worth it, if I'm being honest. I realise that I don't care what our wedding looks like. We could just sign the papers in city hall and be done, and I'd be happy. As long as I have her, I'll be happy. I suppose, in the end, that's all that really matters.

END


	6. And Then There Were None

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Kaoru Sasaki  
> Summary: People say that every cloud has a silver lining. Having a long-lost sister from the Satellite is like having the cloud and the silver lining in one.

_Kaoru_

* * *

I've probably lost count of the amount of times I've come downstairs late at night and found my own mother crying over an almost empty bottle of wine. Most of the time, she doesn't notice me. When she does, she shushes me and tells me to go to bed.

I know why.

I was supposed to have little sister. She was born, there's photos of me with her as a baby. I doubt I even counted as a toddler at the time. I was just told she died in the Zero Reverse. I later learned, when I was old enough to pay attention to the adults in my family talking, that my mom actually gave her up for adoption. My aunt Kyoko was the one who adopted her, and died with her in the Zero Reverse.

She may not be dead, I argued, there's plenty of people in the Satellite. I get told that sometimes it's better not to get your hopes up. I think that means my mom would rather have a dead baby than one from the Satellite.

That's where the problem starts.

My mom picks me up from school one day, everything seems normal. That is until she doesn't start the car. Her hands are gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles are turning white. She's practically shaking. She takes a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Kaoru, I have to tell you something." She exhales through her nose. She folds her hands neatly in her lap. My first thought is that someone died. Then I realised that she would probably be crying if that was the case.

"Yeah?" I mutter, prodding her to continue.

"They found your sister." She sighs after finally getting the words out. "They found her in the Satellite, and she's going to come and live with us."

"Okay," is all I can manage to say. I don't know what else I can say. There's no doubt that everything will change. I've lived in the uncomfortable bliss that is being an only child with separated parents. People reckon that my sister is the reason they split up in the first place, five years after she supposedly died. People say that I'm lucky that I even still see my dad, and I suppose they're right. I've never had a good relationship with him, and now they found my sister, I doubt it's going to get any better.

"We're going to go to the Public Maintenance Bureau to pick her up, okay?" She finally starts driving. "I don't know what we're going to do after that, but we'll figure it out."

I mumble a response, and we drive in silence.

"Are you excited?" She asks as we pull into the car park.

"Yeah," I respond. I suppose actually having a sibling would be nice, maybe I'll be a little less lonely.

We walk into the Public Maintenance Bureau lobby. Nancy, my dad's new fiancee, is already waiting there for us. While they don't absolutely loathe each other, my mom and Nancy don't exactly want to interact with each other. I imagine that they tolerate each other for my sake.

"She's waiting in a room for you, I'll bring her down now." Nancy says. "The Director of the Bureau, Rex Godwin, has given her special permission to remain in the City, and he is also dropping all charges against her."

"Charges?" I echo.

"She was arrested for disrespecting an officer." Nancy answers. "Going by her account, she was arrested under false charges. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do about the mark. The process we use means that the mark is permanent."

"You didn't tell me she was marked." My mom glares at Nancy.

"Kasumi, it's common procedure. Immediately after arrest, all Satellite citizens are marked." My mom stops dead in her tracks as her face falls. It sounds harsh. If it's permanent, it must be like getting a tattoo but  _worse_. Nancy turns to look down the corridor. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Nancy hurries down the hallway, and we're left in silence for a few minutes.

It's not that long before I see her walking towards us again. As soon as she reaches the lobby again, stepping aside so we can see the girl trailing behind her. She looks nothing like I imagined her.

She's fourteen or fifteen, my brain can't remember at this exact moment, but she's looks younger. From the looks of it, I doubt she'd even reach my shoulder. She's scrawny, and very thin. All that time in the Satellite would do that to you. The one thing I'm surprised about is how light her hair is. She had dark hair in the few pictures I've seen of her. Her washed-out, sandy blonde hair blends into her deathly pale skin. This only makes her bright magenta eyes stand out more.

"Yuuka, this is your mother." Nancy gestures to our mom. "And this is your brother, Kaoru." Yuuka stays silent. Her eyes move slightly between our faces. Her eyes are rimmed with red. The skin around her criminal marker looks red and irritated. I even spot traces of dried blood around it.

"Yuuka?" My mom asks softly. She nods in response. "It's good to see you." Yuuka still doesn't say anything. I'm starting to think that she doesn't talk. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Come on, Yuuka." Nancy says. "You're going home with your mother and brother." She doesn't move. It doesn't even look like she's breathing. Her eyes just flicker back and forth, looking at everyone in the room. "There's no need to be afraid."

I didn't consider the fact she could be scared. Surely she would have known about us, it can't be that much of a shock that she'll be living with us. She should be grateful that she's leaving the Satellite. From what I've heard, the conditions there are beyond savage.

Yuuka doesn't say another word, and begins to walk towards us a little more. Nancy and my mom whisper quietly, as my mom starts to fill out paperwork at the front desk. Yuuka and I sit on some chairs, waiting for them to finish. It's about as silent as you can probably imagine. At this point, I'm just suspecting that she's mute. Then again, she did give her account of what happened.

My mom talks for the entire ride home, and during dinner. She promises to bring us out for dinner tomorrow, to celebrate Yuuka coming home. She tells Yuuka about the City, and all of the things we can do together. Yuuka barely gets to mumble a response. I don't think she's managed to form a single word all day.

"I never knew you existed," Yuuka finally says as there's a moment of silence. "My mother never told me about you."

The silence only continues. My mom just stares at her. Yuuka's eyes focus on her now-empty plate. I notice that the plate almost looks completely clean. She refers to our aunt as her mother. I suppose that makes sense. She thought that she only had a mother all this time.

She was arrested this morning, I realise. Her entire world has been turned upside down in less than twelve hours. I feel bad for her. Originally, I thought she should feel lucky that she gets to leave the Satellite and have a family. I was wrong. Yuuka looks like she'd give anything to go back. Maybe, she had a family back there too. Maybe, she'd rather them instead of us. After all, we're just strangers to her.

"Well," my mom begins. "I'm sorry. Kyoko probably had her reasons." I think Aunt Kyoko knew that the chances of getting out of the Satellite were slim to none, and telling her would only make her upset. I don't know if that choice worked out in the long run, but I suppose it doesn't matter now.

My mom starts to clean the dishes. We have a dishwasher, not even three paces away from where she's standing at the sink. Sometimes she likes to wash things by hand, she says that it helps her think.

We go back to silence, and it's so awkward that it actually hurts. I excuse myself, and go to my room as fast as I can. I start my homework for the weekend since it's a Friday. I start with maths, since I find that easiest.

After a few minutes, I hear my mom talking with Yuuka outside my door.

"It's been a long day," my mom says. "You should probably take a shower. The bathroom's there, the towels are in the cabinet. That's your room there, it's pretty bare since it was used as a spare room but we'll get more stuff for it later."

I hear footsteps going back downstairs, and then there's silence. Then, a door opens. Judging by the sound, it's Yuuka's bedroom door. It closes again softly. There's light footsteps and then the bathroom door opens. More light footsteps.

Then, there's a knock on my door. I sigh before getting up from my desk. I open my door to see Yuuka looking absolutely terrified.

"Can you show me how to-"

"Turn on the shower?" She nods slowly. "Did you not have running water in the Satellite?"

"Not really," she answers. I walk to the bathroom with her. I open the cabinet and take out a red towel for her.

"That button is on and off. Turn this dial left for colder water, and right for warmer. That dial is for water strength." Yuuka nods quickly at every sentence. "Any questions?" She shakes her head. "I'll leave a pair of my old pyjamas in your room for you when you get out. Y'know, considering you don't have any other clothes. You okay with that?"

"Yeah, thank you Kaoru." My name sounds weird coming from her mouth, especially since it's the first time I've heard her say it.

"Don't worry about it, we'll have to get used to this." Her small smile fades. "Can I ask you a question?" She nods slowly. "What did you leave behind in the Satellite?"

"I had four friends, we all lived in this abandoned building together. It wasn't much, but it was great. You kind of remind me of one of my friends. His name's Jack. He was the closest thing I had to a brother."

"Now, you have an actual brother."

"Yeah, I guess." Her eyebrows are furrowed and she looks like she's about to burst into tears. I shouldn't have said that.

"I'm sorry," I say quickly. "I know it must be hard, but people say that all things happen for a reason. If your friends care about you, they'll come find you."

"I suppose you're right." She chuckles with a sad smile on her face.

"Right, I'll leave to it then." I nod quickly and leave the bathroom.

I return to the desk in my room, and find myself staring at the wall instead of doing work. Despite how horrible the Satellite seems, Yuuka's acting like that's where she'd rather be. Could the City really be that bad in her eyes? Surely the better living conditions here would outweigh whatever  _family_  she had in the Satellite.

* * *

My mom brings Yuuka out for clothes shopping the next day. They arrive home with bags and bags of clothes. There's also bags under Yuuka's eyes, she looks like she didn't sleep a wink. She tells me that she used to sleep on an old couch underneath a scratchy blanket back in the Satellite. It definitely wasn't the comfy double bed in her room that kept her awake.

Emiko, my best friend, demands that she come over and meet Yuuka when I tell her about her. My mom thinks we should leave it awhile, let her adjust to the City before we start introducing her to people. I'm pretty sure that's what you do with new puppies, but I don't question her.

Within the month, Yuuka starts attending Duel Academy. Between me being year behind in school and Yuuka being a year younger than me, we end up in the same class. It's horrendously awkward explaining why my long lost sister has just appeared, why she has a mark, and why she goes by our mother's last name rather than our father's like me.

Emiko meets her for the first time during the lunch break. Yuuka doesn't say much, but I can tell she's grateful for someone actually talking to her rather than staring and judging. People actively flinch when they see her marker. It's only a small marker, an arrow-shape underneath her right eye.

She shouldn't have it at all, she tells me. She says she was arrested for insisting that she's a human being. The charges were dropped, so she has no criminal record, but she still has the marker. That's pretty harsh. Are Security really that cruel towards the Satellites?

The first week of school is uneventful. No one knows what to make of her. Except Emiko that is. Emiko has already taken a liking to Yuuka. I mean, I didn't doubt otherwise. Emiko and I were each other's only friends before Yuuka showed up. And considering Yuuka never leaves my side when we're at school, it was inevitable that she'd become friends with Emiko too. This is made clear by the countless sleepovers that they have on the weekends, I swear they're once a week at this point.

It's true that Yuuka never leaves my side. We sit beside each other in every class. It's better than sitting alone, I guess. Emiko is in the year below us, so we don't have classes together. I ask Yuuka why. She tells me that she's too scared to be alone. I suppose that's fair. It seems like there's constantly news reports of people with markers living just outside the City's borders getting murdered. Though, I'm not sure I'm the best person to hang out around with for protection. Especially with how frequently I get beaten up, because some assholes think I'm gay. I don't get it, so what if I was gay? There's worse things to be. I could be a psychic.

At least no one's tried to pick a fight with her,  _yet_. Yuuka's scrawny and barely reaches my shoulder, picking a fight with her would be pointless.

So instead, Yuuka decides to pick fights with teachers.

The first time, I admit, wasn't her fault. A girl was chatting away to her friend in the row behind us. The teacher immediately blamed Yuuka, and much to everyone's surprise, gave her detention. Our school normally works on a three strike system. Yuuka tries to tell the teacher this, but he doesn't listen.

She gets sent to the principal's office to go explain herself. In the few moments afterwards, I hear the whispers. They say that she deserves it. They say that she probably tried to kill someone, and that's why she has a mark.

I want to speak up.

But I know if I do, I'm only going to get into trouble. So, I don't.

"I know it must be hard for you to adjust, Yuuka." I overhear my mother that night. "But could you at least  _try_  to fit in?"

A different teacher sends her to detention for tapping her pencil on her desk, while the class was working on maths exercises. She doesn't fight. She just takes her stuff and goes to the principal's office again.

That night, our mom yells at her. She begs her to act normal. I don't want to let her know that I eavesdrop on their arguments, it's not hard when the walls are thin. I want to argue that Yuuka doesn't know what normal is. The only reason Yuuka is in the same class as me is because she's a good duelist. She struggles with practically everything else. Math is the one thing that she absolutely  _cannot_  understand, outside of basic arithmetic. It's gotten to the point where I've started to help her do her homework.

Yuuka continuously gets sent to detention for the most minor of things. Unbuttoning the top buttons on her shirt because it was a warm day. Not paying attention for a split second. It's unreasonable.

"They're only sending me to detention because of my mark," she tells me when our mom leaves the house. "It's because I don't belong there."

"Don't say that," I respond. "You deserve to be there, just as much as everyone else. Everyone has the right to education."

"Supposedly."

One upside of Yuuka going to school with me was that the bullies left me alone for a while. Mostly because Yuuka was new and interesting. I doubt most people at our school had seen a marked person before, in real life.

Eventually, their attention went right back to me.

I walk down an empty corridor after with Yuuka at my side. I was foolish to assume that I wouldn't have been a target. Before Yuuka showed up, I would never have dared to walk down an empty corridor.

The same crowd of three bullies stop in front of us, and block the hallway. I see Yuuka tense beside me. They don't even say anything. One immediately aims a punch at my head. Another tries to restrain so I can't dodge. The other one kicks me in the stomach. I get thrown to the ground, but no one pays attention. Then, I realise why. All of them are staring at Yuuka, there's a splatter of blood on the ground, and it's smeared on Yuuka's clenched fist. One of them steps forward to you, and punches her in the face so hard that she flies and hits the wall.

That's when the fight gets broken up. We all get dragged into the principal's office. Yuuka's given a tissue for her bloody nose. I think Yuuka broke that guy's nose, since it looks crooked and it's bleeding a lot.

The three guys and Yuuka get two weeks of detention, I get off scot free.

I ask her why she defended me, she didn't have to after all. She put herself in the line of fire, just to help me.

"Because it's unfair, Kaoru." She says. "You've done nothing, and these guys decide it's their right to punish you. They're beating you up because they think you're gay. That's not fair. So what if you're gay or not, it doesn't matter. They feel entitled to do that.  _This City_ feel entitled to do that."

While Yuuka is in detention for that incident, some psychic blows a hole in the roof. They've been hurting people in duels for a while. If you're a psychic, why are you even going to  _Duel Academy_ anyway? Are they just hurting people for the sake of it? How could someone be that vile?

Yuuka figures out little details about them, mostly from eavesdropping on teacher's conversations. She's the daughter of a senator, sent here by her father. They want to expel her, but her father is too important. She's two years below us. Emiko knows about the same from being a year above her. Aki Izayoi, the name burns into my mind.

Yuuka and Izayoi spend a lot of detentions together, but never speak. I suppose those two would understand each other best out of everyone here. Yuuka says Izayoi gives the impression that she doesn't want to be spoken to.

Yuuka goes to detention a lot. The same group of boys come back to beat me up. Before they even reach me, Yuuka's already got a punch in. She gets the biggest sentence for starting the fight, technically.

It's almost like something has changed in her. She's started tying her jacket around her waist, she calls it a giant middle finger to the school. It gets her in lots of trouble, like expected. She likes to point out to the teachers that she's not the only one not wearing a jacket. She just stands up and leaves at that point. The teachers don't need to tell her to go to the principal's office anymore. The arguments between her and our mom are only getting more aggressive.

_If you hate it here so much, go back and rot in the Satellite!_

Yuuka just slams her bedroom door in our mom's face.

I think about stepping in, so many times. But, I was always hesitate. I know why. I don't want my own mother lashing out at me because I'm trying to help my sister. I love Yuuka, but I can't face that.

The next time the bullies pick a fight with me, I throw a punch. The first time I've ever thrown a punch in my life. I tell the principal that I threw a punch, and he looks shocked, but I don't get in trouble. Why? Because Yuuka said that she threw that punch instead.

"Why?" She repeats back to me. "This isn't your fight anymore. You're getting angry with me because I got in the way of your one act of rebellion. This is my life now. You think this City is so just and perfect that injustice can't exist here, and I'm just an edge case. You're wrong, and you'll never understand that."

I think of the girl that I first met in the Maintenance Bureau headquarters, too scared to even say a word. Then, I think of the girl who's getting up into my face, her face red with anger. They're so far separated that I'm starting to doubt that they're the same person.

She's wrong. They don't call this City a utopia for nothing.

Satellites have their place in the world. I've been told that Satellites are nothing but criminals. They're primal people at their core. Yuuka isn't proving this wrong. She's a marked criminal herself. She's hot blooded, she picks fights with anyone that so much as looks at her. She's proving everyone right.

Yuuka tells me that psychics don't deserve the shit that they get, they can't help who they are. Then why do psychics attack people? Why does Aki Izayoi duel when she knows that people will get hurt? Psychics are monsters. They don't have to duel and hurt people, but they do it anyway. I'm sure if they tried hard enough, they could stop being psychics. It can't be that hard.

That starts to cause a rift between us. She does her homework alone in her room. She stops sitting with me in class. She spends all of her time with Emiko, despite Emiko's efforts to make us spend time together.

The bullies don't even target me anymore. They just go straight for Yuuka. They call her Satellite trash. They say she should be locked up in the Facility. They ask her did she murder someone for that mark. They tell her to go back to the Satellite where she belongs. They say horrible, nasty things to her. And yet, I do nothing to stop her. Like she said, it's her fight. My one act of rebellion doesn't matter. I don't understand Yuuka, and I never will.

Maybe that's why it happens.

I try to make things up to her, a friendly duel in the back garden. Yuuka and I have a pretty even win record against each other. I see our mom looking out the window at us as she washes dishes. It was another harsh argument last night. Yuuka straight up told a teacher to  _fuck off_. I don't think our mom has ever been that angry. Even considering all of the horrible things she's said in the past.

Maybe that's why when Yuuka declares her first attack, everything changes.

I see it in her face. Undeniable panic. Everything feels different. The air around me as her monster charges towards mine. Her hand scrambles to pull back, but she fails. I put my arms up to shield my face. The attack makes contact with my monster, it gets destroyed. The impact continues, and my entire body shudders. Then, I feel the unmistakable crunch of a bone breaking. I feel the warm crimson blood pumping from the wound. I'm faced with the truth.

Yuuka is a psychic.

My sister is a  _monster_. She's the very thing I fear. Our mom runs out to me once she sees the blood. Yuuka just stares at me, and I stare right back. She does the only thing she can, she runs.

Yuuka left for good that day. She was right to. She's a monster, and she knows that. She drops out of Duel Academy altogether. They had wanted to expel her anyway, but Godwin wanted her to stay, so they never went through with it. I suppose I should feel bad, but I don't. Yuuka wanted to leave, and now she has an excuse. Whatever silver lining Yuuka's presence brought is now negated by the fact that the mere cloud is now a storm cloud, bringing harm to everything around it.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, September 2nd, is Kaoru's birthday! This oneshot is also celebrating the fact that Kaoru was the winner of the popularity poll, and this is for his win!


	7. Ignorance I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Kenta Morinaga  
> Summary: Sometimes your problems go from hating your boyfriend's friends to that boyfriend trying to take over the world, and all you've got is sarcasm.

 

_Kenta_

* * *

I don't know why I'm so surprised. Being gay and trans simultaneously isn't that big of a deal, he saw that coming. But being a psychic, that's clearly taking it too far. It makes me wonder how accepting he was to begin with.

So what's the first thing a now gay, trans, homeless, psychic kid does after his dad kicks him out? Join a gang, of course. The Onyx Slicers aren't hard to find, surprisingly. Then again, their members tend to show off the tattoos for the world to see. They don't believe when I say that I want to join.

The idea makes sense in my head. From what I know about gangs, they'd hardly let one of their own sleep on the streets.

They let me in, solely based on the fact that I'm a psychic. I'd need some training, of course. But I'm in. I'd have to sleep inside the base until they can figure something out for me, but that's better than the streets.

When it comes time for the initiation, I start to panic. Withstand a beating from a good chunk of the gang. I'm lucky that another guy is going through the initiation at the same time as me. He tells me that his name is Takumi, but I'm too scared to even pay attention to him. I survive the initiation somehow, though I'm convinced I have a broken rib. Takumi's still in pretty bad shape when we're getting the tattoos.

"You don't seem that bad," Takumi says to me as we arrive at the tattoo parlour, one that's very familiar with the Onyx Slicers. There's very obvious bruising on his face. "Clearly, I got the worst of it." He's right. Takumi's much taller and buffer than me, he can clearly take more of a beating than I can.

"Yeah, I guess." I nod slowly. He's being overly friendly, smiling at me and talking to me. Honestly, it's confusing me a little. Now, that I'm no longer paralysed by the fear of getting beat up. I get my first good look at Takumi. My head barely makes it past his shoulder. His yellow blond hair is short, minus the classic emo fringe in the front. His brown eyes stare down at me, like they already know everything about me.

The tattoo of the Onyx Slicers is the outline of two knives overlapping each other in the shape of an  _x_ , in black naturally. Takumi immediately takes his shirt off to get the tattoo, and I must admit that I definitely stare longer than I need to. The worst part is that he notices. Despite Takumi looking like he's only a little bit older than me, he has definitely started working out a lot. It's a very small tattoo parlour, and it's very late at night, so there's only one person working. He gets the tattoo at the top of his back, right on the spine. He barely flinches as he gets the tattoo. I must say that I'm impressed, considering that's a fairly painful spot.

Then, everyone looks to me, expecting me to take my shirt off too. I can't do that. I don't know these people. They'll see my bandages binding my chest, they'll know.

"Yeah, I'm getting it on my shoulder." I say as I take off my flannel and roll up the left sleeve of the t-shirt underneath. Takumi's eyes narrow, and I have to ignore it. One of the leaders that's with us, who I can't seem to remember the name of, just stares at me before nodding at the tattoo artist.

The tattoo artist tells me that the shoulder, on the bicep side, is a good place to get a first tattoo. It still hurts like a bitch, don't get me wrong. I just clench and unclench my toes to deal with the pain. The tattoo artist gives me all of the usual care advice, most of which is already familiar to me. The leader just pays for our tattoos, which is a lot cheaper than what seems to be advertised. I suppose the Onyx Slicers do seem to have a deal with this parlour. Once we pay and we're outside, he just walks away and leaves Takumi and I alone.

"Are you gonna head home then?" Takumi asks me nonchalantly. I see the time on his phone, it's pretty late. I notice that the sign on the tattoo parlour says closed.

"If by home, you mean the base." Takumi turns slowly to look at me. "Why do you think I joined this gang?"

"Nonsense," he scoffs. "You're staying with me now, come on." Takumi begins to walk, only to realise that I'm not following him. "Kenta," he sighs. I'm not sure how to respond, so I say nothing. "Listen, I can't have you sleeping under a blanket on the floor in that base. You can stay at my house. A couch is better than a concrete floor."

"Alright," I mutter, "thank you." There's a sadness in his eyes that I can't quite place. His eyes lower to the ground as his eyebrows furrow.

"It's this way," is all he says before he starts walking again.

"You don't have to do this." I say, a few minutes into the walk to his house.

"But I do," Takumi sighs.

"Why?"

"Well," he exhales deeply. "I feel bad. You're homeless, a psychic, and really gay-"

"How did-"

"That oversized flannel ain't fooling nobody." He chuckles, and I can't help but feel a little flushed. "I don't know which one got you kicked out, but it's not fair that this happened to you. The system in this City is cruel. But hey, if I can make your existence slightly better, then why shouldn't I?" I go to respond, but Takumi beats me to it. "Now that you asked a question, am I allowed to ask one?" I nod, unsure of what he's about to ask. "Why did you refuse to take your shirt off in the parlour?" I feel my face fall. "Now, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's just… I have a sister and-"

"She's trans?"

"Yep," Takumi smiles. "I've seen what she's been through, and I was wondering if…"

"I am," I say with a deep exhale. "Props to you for spotting that. Most people assume I'm just a kid who hasn't gone through puberty yet."

"I mean, considering you're short, you pull off that look quite well." Takumi starts laughing. "Maybe if you're lucky, going on T will give you a growth spurt."

"That's not how that works, I looked it up."

"Oh look at you, Mr.  _I'm an intellectual_." Takumi puts on a really fake posh laugh. I can't help but roll my eyes and chuckle.

"It's called the internet, learn how to use it sometime."

"First of all-" Takumi starts laughing before he can continue.

* * *

Takumi's mother was surprisingly understanding when her son showed up with a stray gay kid that he found. I was expecting to meet his sister, but I learnt that she had recently moved out with her girlfriend.

One day, Takumi comes home with a strange parcel, which was clearly ordered online. "Here," he says as he hands the parcel to me. I open it slowly, the curiosity building inside of me. It's a plain white binder in my size. "It's a binder. I was looking online, and it said that you shouldn't be using those sprain bandages to bind, so I got you that instead."

I stare at him in the silence. For once, Takumi seems nervous. This isn't the first thing he's done to help me. He brought me to a barbers to get a proper haircut, complete with undercut. He keeps buying me clothes from the mens' section, even though his mom's apartment is starting to run out of room. And now this. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't developing feelings for him.

All I can muster is a small  _thank you_ , as I wrap my arms tightly around his waist.

Things in the Onyx Slicers were going well, for a gang that is. They made us go on patrols a lot, spray paint our gang sign on some buildings.

That is, until the leader of the gang is murdered.

We've been fighting with Black Flag recently. We nearly took over their entire territory, only stopped by a psychic with hair a vivid shade of lilac. People are immediately pointing fingers at their leader, even though he hasn't known to have done anything like that before. A new leader immediately steps up, his former right hand man.

Then, he gets taken out.

The next person reluctantly takes the job. He doesn't last long before getting shot in the head.

The gang verges on the edge of collapsing. It's only been a few months since I joined, and it's already come to this. Takumi assures me that I can still stay with him.

Something unthinkable happens. The person who should have taken the leader position abandons us. The Onyx Slicers slips into further chaos. There's no clear successor. Every authority figure in this gang has ran away or has been murdered.

"My vote's for Chiba." Someone says as we discuss who should be the next leader. Takumi freezes and says nothing. The voices around us descent into a frenzy.

"Votes for Takumi?" There's silence, and then a near unanimous vote. The group dissipates and Takumi gets dragged off by some of the older members.

* * *

So, just like that, Takumi becomes the leader of the Onyx Slicers. A little piece of that light in his eyes fades away. They tell him that he's just a filler until they can find someone better. They still teach him how to run the gang, someone should know. Where are the problem areas, like we don't know from patrol. Where to buy the drugs, who to sell the drugs too. He always keeps me at his side. No matter what meeting is going on, he refuses to attend unless he can bring me.

"Because you're my right hand man," he answers when I ask him why.

Our first major fight happens with Black Flag, as expected. Takumi insists on leading the fight, because what kind of leader would he be otherwise. Ironic, considering we fought Black Flag. Their leader is known for doing everything from the shadows. Rumour has it that he's in control of the drug trade, I doubt it. Takumi gets hurt in the fight, badly. I just remember a knife and blood everywhere. I lose control of my powers. There's ice everywhere, and everyone retreats. It's neither a win nor a loss. Everyone just wanted to avoid frostbite.

They take Takumi to a psychic doctor. I ask why, since Takumi isn't a psychic himself. The doctor's name is Nico, and he deals with all of the gang stuff, no questions asked. Well, maybe some questions, because he's nosy.

I sit opposite a pale, blonde girl in the waiting room. She must be from Black Flag. She seems to rather impatient. One of Nico's assistants trails behind the tall, dark guy that walks towards her.

"Took you long enough," she says as she puts the magazines down. "I told you there was nothing wrong with you."

"Do you honestly think Reika would let me walk around with a stab wound?" He raises his eyebrows at her. "Really now, especially now that Anako's gone."

"I know, but it was barely a slash." She looks pointedly at the bandages on his arm. "No stitches?"

"No stitches," he echoes.

"Told you." She then turns to Nico's assistance. "Thank you again, and put the charge on Raiden's bill." The girl walks out without saying much else.

Nico's assistant turns to me, and tells me to follow him. Nico leaves one of the rooms, just as we're about to walk in. I imagine he must earn big money if he managed to turn a duplex like this into a doctor's office. Takumi half sitting up on an examination table, he raises his eyebrows at me jokingly as I sit down on a chair beside him.

"Told you it wasn't serious," he chuckles as he gently pats the bandages completely covering his torso. "Nico said that I'll have a scar, right down here." He trails from his left collarbone, straight down the centre of his chest, stopping just above the belly button.

"That sucks," I mutter. I smooth out the bandages on his torso. "You better take care of yourself, that wound might get infected."

"What if you take care of me?" Takumi smiles at me. This is different, there's no teasing or that hint of humour that I've come to associate with him.

"Well, I do need to return the favour of you taking care of me."

"But do you want to?" He tenses slightly.

"Of course I do," I feel him relax underneath my hand that's still on his chest.

"If you were taking care of me, I'd throw myself into danger a lot more." A hint of teasing comes back with a raised eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I raise an eyebrow right back at him.

"Can I kiss you?" I freeze in place. I feel Takumi's heart rate quickening underneath my hand. I bite my lip for a second, no thoughts run through my head. For once, it's silent.

So, then I decide. I press down slightly on his chest, as I lean over to kiss him. Our lips barely brush before I pull back on instinct. Takumi just sits there with a content look on his face.

"So when's the next fight?" He asks smugly, and I can't help but roll my eyes. "Are you free next Saturday at 8?"

"Takumi, I'm literally living at your house, you know when I'm free." He keeps staring at me, expectantly. "Yes, I am free and I'll take up that offer."

* * *

Takumi was expecting us to have a long  _talk_ after that date. You know the one that everyone dreads, the  _what are we_ conversation. Apparently, that was lost on me because I assumed, not wrongly, that we were already dating. Takumi was relieved, at least.

I officially become Takumi's right hand man, in more way than one.

For someone who claims to be a party animal, Takumi sure seems to be clever with his money. Within a few months, he manages to pocket enough money from the gang to buy us an apartment. It's a one bed apartment, not too far from the Daimon Area, but it's cozy. Not long after that, he saves enough that I'm able to start taking testosterone.

Only after all of that, Takumi realises that we've never been to a club together. So, naturally I get dragged to Psycho, the biggest psychic club in the City. When I get inside, I realise why I've never been to a club before. Loud music and having too many people around me. I spend a bunch of time in a bathroom while covering my ears. That was partly because I was convinced that some people were doing nasty things in another stall. At least the bathroom was cold, compared to the humid dance floor where Takumi was waiting.

By the time we leave, Takumi is drunk and I have enough alcohol in my system that I'm slightly buzzed. Takumi keeps trying to make out with me as we walk back to our apartment. We could have gotten a taxi, but I wanted to walk and get the alcohol out of my system. I don't want to make out with my boyfriend on a random street, so I keep pushing him gently away. I don't think he gets the message, because he keeps trying anyway.

"C'mon, I'm just trying to have a fun time."

"I told you, wait until we're home." I sigh.

"But I wanna make out  _now._ " He drags out the  _now_. I notice that he's about to walk into a pole. I try to grab his arm.

"Takumi-" Too late. I hear people laughing behind us. I grasp Takumi's arm tightly, and pull him along. "You okay?"

"'M fine." He rubs his hand over his face and checks for blood, none. At least he didn't break his nose or something.

I hear a thud behind us, and more laughing. Takumi bursts out laughing when he realises that the same girl who laughed at him for walking into the pole, just walked into the same pole. The tall blonde girl, who's dress has now ridden up to dangerous levels, points at Takumi and laughs. Takumi starts to do the same. The blonde girl's drunk friend joins in on the laughing and pointing.

They begin their drunken babble. Of course, they form a natural connection, and Takumi invites them to our apartment for more drinking. I don't like the idea of strangers in our apartment, especially when I literally know nothing about them. But I don't want to ruin Takumi's fun, especially when he's done so much for me.

I've decided that I already hate the blonde girl. She's the most loud and obnoxious, and really gets on my nerves. She's the whole reason I'm stuck in this uncomfortable situation. I learn that her name is Yuuka Sasaki. She's honestly ignored me this entire time. At least her friend Shinji tries to include me. I appreciate the effort, but I retire to bed quite quickly. Not that I sleep with them being so loud.

By the time I wake up, Sasaki and Shinji are leaving, still in last night's clothes and Sasaki has makeup smudged all over her face. I spot something worrying as they leave, and Takumi doesn't see it.

"What?" He asks me as soon as the door closes.

"You didn't see it?"

"What are you on about?"

"Shinji had a tattoo at the top of his back," I reply. His shirt dipped low enough that I managed to spot it.

"So?"

"It was a Black Flag tattoo."

Takumi freezes for a second. I knew they seemed familiar. I saw them in the lobby of Nico's practice, just after our flight with Black Flag. Raiden is the leader of that gang, and the charge of them being there was put on his tab.

"It's fine," is all he says.

"But-"

"We could form an alliance, if I play my cards right." My eyes widen. Are the cogs in his brain already turning that quickly? "I have their numbers, I'll arrange a get-together soon. Those two are close with that Raiden guy. I had my suspicions, but you just confirmed it. If I get in with them, maybe I'll get in with Raiden."

"I didn't think of that," I mutter.

"Want to go to that little Vietnamese place down the street and get Pho for breakfast?" He says it so nonchalantly that I get a shiver down my spine. Almost like that power play never entered his head. He's thrown that idea to the back of his head to let it sit, to let it take shape.

* * *

Somehow, over the next few months, Shinji and Sasaki become the almost constant companions of Takumi. Something which angers me ridiculously. I have to listen to Sasaki's obnoxious laugh on a regular basis now, when they come in from Psycho early in the morning. I've stopped going with them, something which Takumi finds no problems with. I learn to tolerate her presence, and by that I mean, be in the same room as her.

It's a good thing that I did.

When Shinji and Sasaki find out who we are, they don't run. Sasaki's face showed a smugness that tells me that she knew all along. I wonder if she had the same idea as Takumi but kept it to herself, because Shinji seemed surprised by our identities. It's then I learn that Sasaki may not be the vaguely gloomy, ditzy blonde that she appears to be.

Turns out that Sasaki is very close to Raiden, and is basically his right hand man. We negotiate some sort of peace. Raiden was hesitant to make an alliance, but we settled on a ceasefire. Regardless of what fight breaks out, Black Flag and the Onyx Slicers will never face off against each other. However, we have nothing making us fight side by side should we need it. I have a nagging feeling in the back of my head that that might cause trouble in the future.

It's surprising how easy that made our lives. I didn't realise how much of our time was taken up by Black Flag. It almost feels peaceful for awhile.

"Hey Kenta," Takumi says to me one night. Neither of paying attention to the movie playing in front of us, while we sit on the couch. "Yuuka was telling me about gangs in the Satellite the other day."

"Really?" I can't deny that piques my interest. That could help us if we used that information in the right way. "How different is it?"

"Basically the same as here, maybe even a bit worse." He hums. "But there was one thing that stuck with me." I wait for him to continue. "She used to be in this gang, called Team Satisfaction. Their existence had only one purpose, make the Satellite a better place. They wanted to get rid of all the gangs, and unify the Satellite. Could you imagine such a thing?" There's a pause. "No gangs, no wars. If only."

"I'm sure it could be done." Takumi turns to look at me. "If you knew how to go about it." His eyebrows furrow. I can see the gears in his head turning.

"We could do it," he says softly. "Our lives would be so much easier. No fighting, we could just be together. Not living with the reality that everything we own was bought with drug money."

"Sounds nice, but how would we ever do that?" I sigh.

Apparently Takumi's answer to that question was  _recruit people familiar with the territory_.

Shinji says no. He wants to leave gangs entirely. His girlfriend, who's also in Black Flag, has been considering leaving for months, ever since Black Flag members got murdered on Cardinal Dragon territory. Surely he knows that joining us means everyone gets to leave gangs, that's what Takumi says. I understand Shinji's decision. Staying out of the game keeps him safe. He wants to settle with his girlfriend. Dragging both himself and his girlfriend into this war puts them both in harm's way. That's what I'd do if it weren't for Takumi. I don't like playing the dangerous game and he knows that.

Sasaki says she'll think about it. Which is something I'm on the fence about. She would be useful, but I would have to put up with her loud, obnoxious ass for longer than I would like.

The idea of destroying all of the gangs never leaves Takumi's head.

"I hate this stupid circle of violence," he says while sprawled out on our couch. "One gang attacks, and you're stuck fighting them for months because someone got hurt."

"I want just one day where I don't have to deal with all this shit."

"One day."

"Could we not just leave the gang, and leave it to someone else?" I ask one day.

"No," Takumi frowns. "It's the principle of it. If we walk away now, we're admitting the system can't be changed and it's better to escape than fight. We need to fight this. We're not just fighting for ourselves anymore, we're fighting for everyone who's trapped in this vicious cycle and can't escape. Do you understand?"

"I do."

* * *

Takumi keeps pressing them for an answer. Shinji says no. I run into Sasaki at the Fortune Cup, for Takumi's sake, I press her to join us. Something changed in her. I think she could join us now. She seems shaken by the marked competitor, an old childhood friend. I must be getting soft. I felt bad for her. There was something else going too, I could it in her aura. I offered to calm her down using my powers, something I just learn I could do. I may have accidentally mellowed Sasaki out when she was annoying me. She figured it out pretty quickly and allowed me to test my powers further.

Immediately after the Fortune Cup, Sasaki drops off the grid entirely. For three months. Shinji gives no explanation. Takumi tries to get through to her, but it's missed call after missed call. He tries to go to her apartment, but no luck there.

Then, out of nowhere, we hear that she's in the hospital because Raiden collapsed a building on top of her. Shinji tells us it was because Sasaki tried to leave Black Flag. Takumi's hand shoots over my own.

"She was leaving Black Flag to join us," he mutters. I only hope that he's right.

We visit her in the hospital. Takumi tells me to get flowers that mean something specific to us and our mission. I manage to find some Morning Glories, which mean  _willful promise_. Sasaki knows about flowers, she should get the idea.

I think she does.

She and Takumi arrange to meet in the park, a fancy gazebo by the lake. I think I've seen people drinking alcohol in here before, which explains why those two chose here. Sasaki is bringing her brother, Kaoru, something she says will explain itself.

Takumi paces the gazebo as we wait for them. Sasaki has a bad leg since the building collapsed on her, so we were told that she might be late. And she is.

I feel them approach before I see them. So, I turn around to face them. I glance between Sasaki and her brother. There's definitely a resemblance, particularly in the eyes and nose. The only difference is that Kaoru has hair closer to light brown than blond, and orange eyes as opposed to pink. They even have the exact same look of uncomfort on their face. Then, I try to read their auras.

"Oh dear gods, there's two of them." They look pretty similar, same facial expression, same aura. The possibility that I might have to deal with two Sasakis at the same time creeps into my head, and I don't like it.

"What do you m-" Takumi turns around to see what I mean. His gaze lingers on Kaoru before turning towards me. "I mean they look alike but-"

"No, it's not that." I put a hand over my mouth as I watch Sasaki hobble over to a pillar to lean on it. It's definitely her ankle that she hurt. She's avoiding putting weight on one of her legs entirely. "Their auras, they're practically the same."

"What does that mean?" Kaoru looks to me, anxiously. No one must have pointed it out yet.

"I don't know," I answer. I've never met siblings that are psychics. I can't say that's the reason. Yet, I also can't help but feel there's an underlying reason.

"Could that be why we can hear each other's thoughts?" Kaoru asks me again, ignoring Sasaki who's clearly in a lot of pain.

"Could be. Unusual, considering most other telepaths can't hear your sister's thoughts at all." I've heard this secondhand from Takumi. That's something very unusual from what I've heard, excluding my new findings.

"Telepaths?" Takumi's eyes narrow. He focuses on Sasaki before turning to look out onto the lake.

This is why Sasaki brought him here.

Telepaths could change the entire game. We'll be working on a small team, and their contribution could be priceless. They could be the key to winning.

"Besides the point, what's the story? You disappeared for like three months." Takumi asks. I glare at his back, because this is neither the time nor place. I'm sure Sasaki wouldn't want to discuss that in public in front of me, and maybe Kaoru.

"It's a long story," she sighs.

"You always say that," Takumi turns around and leans on the railings.

"Believe me," she frowns, " _I mean it_."

Long story. Would that explain why she left Black Flag so suddenly? Would that explain why the City broke out into a giant gang war? Would that explain why Raiden left, leaving a crippled Sasaki in charge of a wounded gang, which is barely clinging on at this point? Black Flag has exactly one member right now, and it's Sasaki.

"You better spill." Sasaki looks at me in shock. "What did you think you were doing? Leaving Black Flag? Look at what you've done! Everything's a mess and it's all your fault."

"What would you rather have me do?" She tries to defend herself. "I couldn't have known that was going to happen. What? Not leave and be stuck in that hell forever?"

"Yes," I respond curtly. I feel Takumi glaring at me. He clearly knows something I don't. "What do you think about all of this?" I turn to Kaoru.

"I mean, I think she was right in what she did." And he's exactly like Sasaki. "But," apparently not, "I think she could have gone about it in a better way." I'm so glad that Kaoru seems to be rational. A big change from Sasaki, indeed.

"There's no doubt that she could have gone about it in a better way." I nod at him, before turning my attention back to Sasaki. "You should have known better. You know what's Raiden like." I've heard small details from Takumi. Apparently he's very protective of Sasaki, only letting Sasaki be friends with Takumi because he's gay. So, a very shitty guy to say the least. Not to mention, I don't know,  _collapsing a building on top of her_.

"I didn't come out here for a lecture," Sasaki straightens up against the pillar. She looks down at me, as if trying to intimidate me with her height. Even though she's a head taller than me, in her crippled state, she could do nothing to me right now.

"Calm down Kenta," Takumi intervenes. "You know why she did it. Some things went wrong, this changes nothing. It's not going to stop our plan." Takumi has been surprisingly calm. Even when Sasaki went into hospital, he's acting like everything is going according to plan.

"What plan?" Kaoru glances rapidly between Sasaki and Takumi.

"What? You haven't told him yet?" Takumi raises an eyebrow at Sasaki. She raises her eyes, and that alone tells me she's guilty.

"No, I can't have him blabbering on about how this is a bad idea to  _certain_ people." I've heard that Sasaki has been staying with the same Yusei Fudo who won the Fortune Cup, and who just happens to be her childhood friend, for safekeeping. She must be talking about him.

"What's going on, Yuuka?" I see Kaoru's jaw tense.

"You know how I left Black Flag?" She begins casually.

"Yeah, you said that you're done with gangs." There's a beat of silence.

"Well, I'm not."

"What?" Kaoru raises his voice, which causes Sasaki's eyes to move to the lake. "You can't! I mean," Kaoru's voice shakes ever so slightly with fear, "you're not strong enough. You can barely walk without being in a heap-"

"I'm not doing anything now, dumbass. I know that." Sasaki turns her head back to Kaoru. She speaks with such refined ease that I can't help but feel like she has the entire situation under control. Perhaps Takumi and Sasaki are more in sync about this war than I know. "Nothing's going to happen until I leave Poppo Time." Sasaki looks at Takumi, who seems quite amused. Maybe I'm just as left out as Kaoru is.

"What's going to happen then?" Kaoru asks.

"Well, it's simple." Takumi answers. "We're going to rid the City of gangs." It takes that idea a few seconds to register in Kaoru's head.

"Wait, what?" His head turns slowly back to Sasaki.

"Exactly what he said," Sasaki responds without missing a beat.

"No, not that. Why am I here?" Sasaki starts to play with her hands, something I've learnt that means she's nervous. I focus on her aura to see if I'm right. I feel my eyebrows furrow. Her aura… It's muddled. I can't quite get a solid grasp of it. It's still her aura, no doubt. It's muted, it's weaker. I can't read it no matter how much I try.

"Well, you're going to help us." Sasaki closes her eyes, as if to avoid the response. I know she's nervous, but I can't feel it.

"No! Nope, not doing it. No way." Sasaki gives her brother a pleading look.

"Please, just listen." She interjects. He sighs, letting her continue. "As you know, we can hear each other's thoughts. If you don't join us, it's going to be hard for both of us. I can't keep an eye on you. People might use you to get at me, I don't want that to happen."

She's clever.

Sasaki knows that this telepathy could be a great weapon in this war. But she couldn't tell him that. For once, she's using that brain of hers. Telling Kaoru that they'll both be in danger if he  _doesn't_ join. For as stupid as she is, I must admit that Sasaki can be a great strategist when she wants to be.

"Fine." Kaoru holds the bridge of his nose and exhales. "I'm only doing this so I can protect you. The minute you get hurt, we're leaving."

"Okay," I feel Sasaki's aura twitch. She's lying. As if the legendary Fabled Bitch herself would step down from a fight just because she got injured. She nearly died not even two weeks ago, because of gangs, and she's already heading towards another war. If Kaoru thinks he can control her, he's wrong. My only question is how can I control  _her_ , and stop her from doing stupid things that jeopardise the entire mission.

"Is that why you haven't been answering me? Just so you can hide your little secret?" Kaoru's eye twitches slightly. Not answering? Yuuka averts her gaze, but she's not guilty. I can tell that much. It wasn't on purpose, so it must be…

"No," I interject. I turn my gaze back to Sasaki. "There's something wrong with her. Her aura, it's different. You can't hear his thoughts, am I right?"

"That's right." She covers the bottom half of her face and stares at the ground. "Nothing works, I can't sense auras either."

"How is that possible?" Takumi stares at her, wide-eyed.

"I don't know, ever since that duel-"

"Wait, didn't you say that you didn't have control of your powers during that duel?" Kaoru steps ever so slightly towards her.

"What?" I blurt out. Sasaki. Someone who is known for control over their powers. She trained constantly to control them, mentally and physically. Suddenly lost control of their powers? This doesn't make sense.

"Yes," she sighs. "During the duel, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't control my powers." Maybe that's why her aura is strange. There's a darkness to her aura that wasn't there before.

"Do you know why?" Kaoru's face softens.

"I reckon it's to do with her emotions." I stare at Sasaki as I try to grasp at straws with her aura. That darkness must mean something. "A lot has happened to you since I've last seen you, this could be the result of that." Having a building collapsing on top of you is traumatic enough. Something else must have happened to make her go silent for three months. Trauma can do crazy things to a person.

"Probably," she blurts out. Her eye slowly moves to Takumi. "Enough about me. What has happened since Raiden disappeared? Shinji's only told me so much."

"Right," Takumi says as he pushes himself off the railings. "The fighting has calmed down a good bit now. There's only seven gangs left in the City, that includes us," he gestures quickly between us, "and Black Flag."

"I assume the other six got taken over," Sasaki slides back down the pillar, so she's sitting on the ground.

"Right," Takumi continues. "Aside from us, only the Phantom Riders, Cross Syndicate, Red Serpents, The Jackals and Cardinal Dragons are left."

"Wait, you keep talking about us, are you in a different gang?" Kaoru blurts out. Surely that would have been obvious from the wording. Sasaki doesn't seem fazed by the question. He must be the type to ask silly questions.

"We're called the Onyx Slicers by the way," Takumi answers quickly before starting to pace. "After Raiden disappeared, all the gangs made attempts at getting more territory. Black Flag is now technically the smallest gang in the City. We managed to take down two gangs, which is good. It'll make our job a lot easier." He looks to Sasaki and Kaoru for questions, but receives none.

"Our best bet is taking out The Jackals first," I explain. I've spent time planning out the order in which to take out the gangs. "They're the smallest next to Black Flag. They're also the only gang that didn't take over another gang in the last week or so. Probably means that they're the weakest right now, and that they should be our first target."

Cardinal Dragons will be left until last. They're the biggest threat, no doubt. Its leaders are very good at playing mind games. Heck, they managed to convince Raiden Kimura to strike when two of Black Flag's members were murdered on their territory. Granted, I know the truth that an old leader of the Onyx Slicers ordered that to happen. But Kimura certainly didn't know that. At the time. That leader got taken out very soon after, no doubt Kimura found out.

"Sounds fair," Kaoru responds. "We should wait until after the New Year. That'll mean Yuuka has more time to recover, and we can enjoy the holiday season too." I feel my eyes narrow. Despite being a bundle of nerves, I feel a sense of level-headedness from him. A big departure from Sasaki. Maybe, he could be useful for more than just his telepathy.

"You're nothing like your sister, you know that?" I can feel myself smirking as I say it. Though, I do get to have the satisfaction of seeing Sasaki roll her eyes.

"Right, I know we're all having a lovely time here." Sasaki struggles to get up off the ground with her bad ankle. "But I am in pain, and want to get back before I can't walk anymore."

"Also, Yusei-" Kaoru starts.

"Will complain if I'm out too long." She finishes. "They all will. Crow will absolutely nag at me for the rest of the day. Yusei will just give me the neutral face of displeasure."

"What's the neutral face of displeasure?" Takumi chuckles. Sasaki puts her hand under her face, and just gives Takumi a disappointed look. "Oh that's the look you gave me after I puked outside Psycho."

"We were waiting in line to go in and they didn't let us in after that," Sasaki sighs. "I got dressed up for nothing."

"Wait, you two went to that sketchy nightclub downtown?" Kaoru looks between the both of them in shock.

"Dude," Takumi squints at him. "The bouncers know us by name at this point. Like now, they just let us in when they see us coming."

"And now, I'm going to leave before this conversation gets uncomfortable." Sasaki sighs again while hobbling down the gazebo stairs. "I have to deal with him on the way back, thanks Takumi."

"You're welcome," he says as he waves her off with a sarcastic smile. Sasaki flips him off without even looking back.

Takumi stays silent until the both of them are out of earshot. I can't help but watch him as I wait for him to speak. He still seems amused from what just happened. But then, the facade falls.

"What do you think?" I ask, done with waiting for him to start.

"I don't know." He answers. "Is he good enough to replace Shinji?" Ah, there we go. "This kid has no experience. He didn't know Yuuka was in a gang until two days before Black Flag fell. The only thing he has is his powers. Is that enough? Telepathy with Yuuka, and powers he can't control."

"We're just going to have to take that risk," I answer. "You know how I hate risk. We're in a risky business right now. Kaoru is the only option was have left, because I don't think three is enough. I also need someone to make Sasaki more bearable, and you only encourage her."

"I do not-"

"You two are very alike, you both get worse in each other's presence."

"Hey, now-"

"Because there's always alcohol involved."

"I can't help it."

" _Sure_."

* * *

The fight with The Jackals goes  _alright_. We win, of course. I didn't doubt that we would. They didn't try to take over any territory when Black Flag, so I figured that meant they would be easy prey.

That wasn't entirely the case.

Takumi treated Kaoru like a child, assuming he would be dead weight. He was wrong. A friend of Sasaki's taught him how to deal with psychics, something I find suspicious. Did he ask, or does that friend know? That same friend  _has_  been teaching him how to control his powers. I suppose that's something to bring up to Sasaki at a later time. Kaoru, continuing on, was not dead weight as expected. Instead, it seems that he was integral to us succeeding. He managed to distract the enemy by crashing the elevator down into the basement. Not only that, but according to Takumi, he took out the boss of the gang within a few turns.

Takumi and I were apprehensive about Kaoru. But it seems that he has proved his worth.

If only Yuuka hadn't been such a dead weight though, especially compared to a literal newcomer. She wasn't ready to go back to fighting in a gang. I had a feeling. She seemed more nervous than usual. I thought she was worried about Kaoru. Turns out she was worrying about herself.

If only I had been slightly more apprehensive about the head on approach. I only agreed with Yuuka's idea to make Takumi feel more at ease. I knew I shouldn't have listened to that stupid bitch. They may not have listened to us like she said, but it was at least worth a shot.

"Then speak up next time." Takumi says as he changes the bandages on my arm. Of course I had to injure my right arm, the arm I use to do absolutely everything.

"I do you one favour, only for all of us to be covered in bandages." At least I don't have the worst of it. Both Sasaki and Kaoru are both in bad shape, they both have big gashes on their waists. At least they have that quick regeneration that some psychics have, they're very lucky. I reckon that they won't have scars from that. They had mostly healed when we got back to our apartment.

"Don't be that way." Takumi tuts. "You're in a gang, surely you're used to this by now."

"We need to change our approach." Takumi finishes my bandage so I rub my hands over my face. "The head-on approach isn't going to work when Sasaki can barely stand after summoning one monster." Takumi's mouth forms a hard line. He didn't witness her in action much. But her state afterwards was very telling. Even Kaoru seemed worried for her, well, more than normal.

"What would have us do then?" I hear that mistrust in Takumi's voice. "It's not like they'll listen to us. Give up this lucrative money maker, and go back to a civilian life. Not everyone is like us, Kenta. Do you really think we can convince people to give up their drug empires because we told them about a better life they could have if they just  _stop_? I don't think so. What's wrong with you? Normally, you're the realist in this relationship."

"I can't help it." I sigh as I rub my hand over the fresh bandage on my arm. "I've been thinking about something Sasaki said."

"You listening to Sasaki?" Takumi scoffs. "Tell me another one."

"I'm being serious." I roll my eyes. "I know that sounds so unlike me, but it's true. It's something she said after we formed Team Liberation, the reason why she finally said yes.  _Take your guilt and turn it into something better._ "

"Why is that sticking with you? What have you to be guilty about?" He narrows his eyes at me, and sits on the opposite side of the couch, facing me.

"I've hurt people with my powers, Takumi." His eyes soften. "As much as I've hate to admit, I lie awake at night, thinking about the people I've used my powers on. Have I ever accidentally killed someone? Have I ever paralysed someone because a chunk of concrete fell on their legs? You're not a psychic, Takumi, so you can't understand." He tenses. "I don't expect you to understand. But Sasaki  _does_. I've never asked her, but I know that's what she does too. When you're a psychic in a gang, you don't know if you've ruined someone's life or not. I don't think I have. But here's the thing.  _I don't know what crimes I'm guilty of_. I can't help but worry, Takumi." I feel my eyes starting to burn. "If I could do something to make that all better, I would. If I could prevent more people getting hurt in this cycle of violence, I would do  _anything_. Someone we hurt in The Jackals could come back and hurt us, just because I dueled them. We have to do this, Takumi. If we going to destroy every gang, we have to do so that no one gets hurt.  _Please_. I just want to escape this, and not worry about our lives."

Takumi puts his hand over mine. His eyes seem glassy. I can't expect Takumi to understand, and I'm not going to. I just want him to consider things from my point of view. I've been through things because I'm a psychic, and he'll never go through that because he's privileged enough not to be cursed with these powers.

"We can try," he whispers. "I don't know how it will go, but we can talk to them."

* * *

Our next move is The Red Serpents. We choose them because they've had a change in leader recently, and he's been referred to as  _weak-willed_. He's doing the exact same thing as the last leader did, and nothing else. I'm hoping he can listen to reason.

When Takumi said  _we_  can talk to them, turns out, he meant Sasaki.

Just before we go inside, he pulls her aside and gives her a speech.  _I need you to do something for me_ , he starts with.

_I want you to be the face for our movement. This City is going through some big changes. You're the only one who can lead. You're the only one who can do this. You, a marked psychic, are going to be change that this City needs. This City has its eyes on you. You've got to step up and lead._

He might as well have stabbed in the heart. He said all this while I was in earshot. Kaoru looks at me, and I can feel sympathy in his aura. I don't think he knows that we're in a serious, long-term relationship. But he understands that we're close, and this  _hurts_  me. It fucking hurts, and I won't sugarcoat that.

I'm sacrificing a lot for this.

I could have just walked away. I could have left in safety. For once in my life, I'm ignoring my survival instinct and doing something nice for other people instead. I'm putting every other person before myself. Only for my own boyfriend just to up and ignore me. All for someone who's obnoxious, could ruin the mission, who is a threat to everyone around her. For what? Because she's a marked psychic. What does she have that I don't?

I see how it is.

In this game, we're all equal. It doesn't discriminate. If I want Takumi to recognise me as his rightful second, I suppose I'll have to work for it.

I thought I knew Takumi.

In all the time we have been dating, I honestly thought I knew him better than this.

I can't believe he's putting this war in Sasaki's hands. All while I'm standing right there. I've been the one at his side. I've been the one who orchestrated this entire thing. I've spent so much money paying off informants to find out every single possible thing about each remaining gang. I've spent hours pouring over the data, trying to find the best possible path to victory. I've stalled and waited. I took my time. I waited for this chance.

Now, he's leaving this war to this  _fool_. That's what she is. If Takumi isn't going to play fair, then I won't either.

Somehow, Sasaki manages to pull it off. I manipulated their auras, Sasaki and The Red Serpents' leader. I made them calmer, and easier to lead to a certain conclusion. Luckily, that conclusion was in our favour. Their leader, Felix, was easy to manipulate. But  _how_  Sasaki did it, is the real issue here.

Sasaki, being the absolute idiot that she is, blabbed about Team Satisfaction. The very gang that led us to where we are. She didn't say that she was part of them, luckily. But she spoke like she knew them personally.

That's where the danger lies. I'm sure finding information about her would be an easy task for an informant, if you're paying enough. Someone could come along and take her out, easily. Felix says he's on our side, but I don't trust as far as I could throw him, and that's not very far.

Sasaki put very valuable information in Felix's hands. If he decides to use that, we could be in very real trouble. I don't know about Sasaki, but that's not a situation I want to be in.

Unfortunately for Sasaki, someone uses that information just after we leave that base. She starts running, very fast,  _too_  fast. We follow her, but Sasaki is too fast for us. Kaoru manages to keep up with her, leaving Takumi and I behind.

Once we catch up, I spot the silhouette of Yusei Fudo walking away. My eyes turn to Sasaki and Kaoru, who have their dragons out. Kaoru's Light End Dragon is already starting to disappear. But Sasaki's Trishula stays. I ask her about it. Trishula appeared on its own, like it was protecting Yusei of its own free will. Sasaki puts her hand on one of Trishula's heads. I feel its cold seeping into me. It's a familiar cold, the numbness of death. That's an unmistakable cold. I take Sasaki's hand and lead her back to the apartment. I hope that I can absorb some of that cold which always seem to radiate from her.

It sounds strange to say. But Sasaki seems to just emit the cold that only death can bring. Maybe that's what the Satellite does to someone. No doubt she's no stranger to death, it seems more like a constant companion to her.

Then, I remember that I'm mad at her once we reach the apartment again.

"What do you need to talk about?" She mutters once I drag her into the kitchen, after Takumi finishes making hot drinks for everyone.

"You need to keep your mouth shut." I feel my jaw clench. "You talk too much. Keep quiet, you're going to give us away. All that Team Satisfaction stuff? Nobody needs to know." I take a deep breath, as that will get the point across more. " _Talk less._ "

"All that talking got us the Red Serpents' territory." Sasaki's brow furrows, and she seems oblivious. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, but we keep running your mouth. You're getting us into trouble." My mouth forms a hard line. "Have you not noticed yet?"

"Notice what?" Her shoulders slump as if she's considering, for the first time, that her actions might have consequences.

"The moment you mentioned Team Satisfaction, Yusei got attacked. Wasn't he part of that? Did you not think about that? How could you not have noticed? Someone's figured us out, Sasaki. And I'm pointing my finger at you!" For emphasis, I point my finger in her face, despite how much of a stretch that is from where I'm standing.

I just want to get through to her. Maybe she'll become more tolerable. Maybe she'll listen to other people before just acting. Acting like her actions have consequences. I hate her. She walks around, oblivious to the fact that other people are suffering as much as she is. Everything around her is  _The Yuuka Show_. She's the one saving the City, when I'm here working just as hard as she is, if not more. I wish she'd just wise up to that.

"No. That wasn't my fault." She stutters out. Will she ever take the blame? Put her hands up and say something was her fault. As far as I'm aware, she's never done anything of the like.

"Oh okay, you're not taking the blame like usual. Who done it then Sasaki? Tell me." I feel my shoulders start to shake. I can't help myself. This day is pushing me further and further towards the edge and I don't know how much more I can take.

"I felt Raiden's aura, before you arrived." I stumble away from her. But she's looking at me with such certainty. She's telling the truth?

"Sasaki, that's not possible. You know that. He's gone." I try to reason with her. She's suffering some trauma, I understand that. Something else that could have been traumatic, had she not intervened, nearly happened. Things happen.

"I know what I felt." I feel her aura heat up as I read it. She's being steadfast. She's not lying.

"You'd know better than I would, better than anyone." I sigh. I turn, looking around our small kitchen as I try to comprehend what that could really mean. "I hope you're right."

"Honestly, each option is as bad as the other." Sasaki's right. "Red Serpents know who I am, they spill to other gangs. They might find out who you are through association. Raiden knows." She shakes her head. "We're doomed. You, me, Yusei, everyone."

"I hope you're wrong. For the both of us." I put my hands over my face, and stare at Sasaki through the gaps between my fingers. Is Raiden really as dangerous as she claims? Given how solemn her face is, I'm inclined to say she's right. "That it's just a coincidence. Wrong place at the wrong time." I lower my hands, and stare at them. "Did I hide my skin enough?" My skin is several shades darker than any plain Japanese person. Damn my half Indian skin, could this be something that could give us away? "I have nobody they can use against me." I have Takumi, and he's already involved. My mother's dead, and my father disowned me. Except for Takumi, I'm alone in this world. "So, they figured out who you are and attacked Yusei."

"Don't be silly. It was just a coincidence. It was probably some Cross Syndicate kids off their turf." Sasaki goes to rest a hand on my shoulder but pulls away at the last second. God, do I yell at her that much that she refuses to touch me? Are we that repulsive to each other that a simple gesture isn't possible? I'm starting to see what Takumi means.

"Yeah, it was." I try to convince myself. It wasn't Sasaki's fault, it wasn't my fault. "We're fine." It wasn't anyone's fault.

Or was it?

 _I know how to deal with psychics._ I remember Kaoru's words. Could he have? _I've been taught by Anako._  He must have.

"Go take that turtleneck off. You'll feel better." Sasaki starts to move towards the kitchen door. I've been pulling at this turtleneck for a while. Even though it makes me very uncomfortable, I've been wearing to cover up my dark skin, something quite recognisable. Strange that she picked up on that, considering how oblivious she is normally.

"Keep your eye out, Sasaki." I tell her, my voice barely above a whisper. "It could be someone on the inside." She stares at me, wide-eyed. She nods, she understands. I think she knows exactly what I'm talking about. Kaoru is naive. He doesn't know what consequences could lie waiting for us.

* * *

"Kenta, calm down." Takumi says as he interweaves his legs with mine on the couch. "I'm sure another gang out there already figured out who she is. Yuuka told that only Raiden knew that she used Yuudai as a double. He probably told the Cardinal Dragons or something."

I can't help but feel like he has a point, but something still lingers in the back of my head. I'm remembering the pain-filled auras of The Jackals. One of them is bound to do something. Maybe someone recognised her aura from the Satellite. A lot of former Satellites have joined gangs after the unification. Hell, one of the gangs left was one of the gangs that appeared not long after Team Satisfaction disbanded. At least, that's what the informant said.

"We just need to keep going," he rubs my leg in an effort to calm me down. "You saw Yuuka at The Red Serpents, right? Don't you believe that we can do this?"

"It's a stronger possibility now." I answer. I don't feel certain enough to say yes. This could work. Or maybe Felix already wanted out, and we just got lucky. I can't help but worry. We need to stay out of things for a while and rethink our strategy.

"I was thinking about what we'll do after this, y'know? Once we finish in the City."

"What do you mean  _finish in the City_?" Is Takumi implying what I think he is? "I thought we were done, for good."

"See I thought about that." Takumi shifts in his seat so his back is straighter. "But here's the thing. What if we kept doing this?"

"What?"

"Y'know, like, go to different cities. And just, keep going until the world is free of gangs."

" _Takumi_ ," my tone is harsh. "Once the City is free,  _we're_  done. We're retreating and having a nice, carefree life together. Isn't that what you want?"

"I do, but-"

" _Takumi, please._ "

"Listen to me, Kenta. We have the possibility to free everyone in the world from gangs. And what? We're just  _not_ going to take it? What happened to us doing the morally right thing?"

"We're doing the morally right thing by saving ourselves after this is over. We're already putting enough on the line for this City. Takumi, someone could just shoot us through our door tomorrow because of Team Liberation. And you,  _you_ want to turn this into a  _global_  mission. Takumi, we need to get out of this,  _alive_."

"I thought I knew you better than this, Kenta." Takumi stands up from the couch and begins to pace the room. "You're ignoring every suffering person in this world. For what?"

"Our safety," I feel my jaw tensing and my teeth grinding against each other.

"I'm going for a walk," is all Takumi says before he walks out of our apartment and slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The topic doesn't come up before we fight the next gang. The Phantom Riders, the very gang who conquered the Satellite after Team Satisfaction disbanded and left the poor island in chaos. They have challenged Yuudai, or should I say Sasaki, to a Riding Duel. The prize? The winner gets the other gang's territory. This means we get part of the docklands, and the  _entire_  Satellite. The thought of that sends a shiver down my spine.

I can't help but feel like an ambush is waiting for us. Sasaki actually agrees with me for once. Something else surprising is that she seems to be slowly warming up to me, ever since I yelled at her. Maybe because I was starting to have a panic attack, and she briefly saw some vulnerability, before I reigned it in and saved that attack for later.

But back to the topic at hand, all four are just standing by one of the newly constructed bridges, waiting for part of The Phantom Riders to show up. Ambush seems more and more likely every minute. We're all dead silent. Things are awkward between Takumi and I. Kaoru's looking at his phone. Meanwhile, Sasaki stares off into the distance as she leans on her D-Wheel, seemingly unaware of the awkwardness around her. Or maybe she's just ignoring it. Sometimes, I wish I could just zone out like her.

"So you know the way Aki was called the Black Rose Witch?" Kaoru asks Sasaki as someone finally tries to start some conversation. We all turn to look at him. "What would you be called? Like the Fabled Witch or something?"

"It rhymes with that." I resist the urge to chuckle.

"What do you mean it rhymes?" Kaoru turns to me instead.

"The Fabled  _Bitch_ ," Sasaki answers. Kaoru seems shocked by her language, but that seems surprising, considering he can hear her thoughts.

"I came up with it." I chip in. This was not long after I met her. We needed a name to refer to the right hand  _man_  in Black Flag, and well, she uses Fabled monsters  _and_  she's a bitch. It works so well, and I just couldn't help myself.

Sasaki practically jumps out of her skin when we hear the distant sounds of D-Wheel engines coming straight for us. Which is fair, considering the sun has just risen, and no one would be a joy ride at this time. Five D-Wheels pull up not far from us. Four of them stay back, while one approaches us. He stops only a few metres from us.

"You're the one I'm facing, I assume?" He takes off his helmet. I inhale sharply but I don't know what I was expecting. His tanned skin is covered in markers. Two thick lines go either side of his face, with another line going across his nose. His mop of curly red hair stands out against his baby blue eyes. Despite how tall and broad he is, even more so than Takumi, I can't help but be in awe of his face. It's soft, unlike everything else about him.

"Are you Miguel?" Sasaki asks.

"That's me alright." He steps forward, and offers his hand to shake, which Sasaki does. "This might sound bad, but do you mind taking your mask off? I hate dueling someone I can't see the face of."

That baby face hides the gang leader that's inside, I should have known. I can't forget that Miguel is still a gang leader, no matter how cute he is. Did I just call another boy cute, when I myself have a boyfriend? I can't believe this. Then, I remember telling Shinji he had a great ass, before slapping it. And somehow, that makes me feel better.

Sasaki, hesitantly, takes her mask off. From where I'm standing, I can see that she's put plenty of makeup on her face. Wait, are those blue contact lenses? That sly bitch. She must have known that her mask didn't fit under her helmet.

"You're just a kid," is all Miguel says. He has a look of surprise on his face. I sense no aura from him, so he mustn't be a psychic. But he does seem genuine enough, maybe we can trust him to hold up his end of the bargain.

"I'm older than I look." This gets a laugh out of Miguel. I see Takumi turning to look at me from the corner of my eye. I have a mask on, surely he can't tell what I'm feeling. "You're from the Satellite, yeah?"

"Born and bred," he answers. That seemed obvious from his marks, but it's Sasaki we're talking about her. He seems surprised when Sasaki answers with a  _me too_. She must have covered her marker with concealer. "Okay, down to business." He rubs his hands together. "I thought instead of yous hunting us down and everything that follows, we'd issue a challenge. That seems fair, right? I'd actually like to avoid violence. It's just the kind of guy I am."

Takumi, Kaoru and I all stare at each other, before our gazes slowly shift back towards Miguel. I think he's heard about us, and how we took down The Red Serpents. I've heard something about their gangs being linked. He must know what our mission is now, ending that circle of violence.

"I would too," Sasaki answers. I'm reading her aura, and she feels the same way I do.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Is Miguel one of those rare cases where a gang leader isn't a total psychopath? It seems like it. "You win, you get all of the Phantom Riders territory. I win, I get all of the Team Liberation territory. We cool?" Unless he's hiding a trick up his sleeve for this duel, which is still a possibility.

"Yeah," Sasaki nods. "Wanna go straight to business now?"

"Sure thing." Miguel grin and sticks his hand out to shake Sasaki's again. "Good luck. You'll need it, my deck is pretty strong."

"Really?" Sasaki smirks right back at him as she shakes his hand. "Mine is too." They both set off towards the entry for the highway. The rest of The Phantom Riders cheer as they set off, we're a bit less cheery.

"I'm surprised," Kaoru says. "He seemed so cool."

"He did," I answer. "I wonder if he's hiding anything." I look over to his friends, they seem innocent enough.

"I don't think so," Takumi weighs in. "Miguel is friends with Felix from The Red Serpents. He knew about us. Maybe this is Miguel's way of seeing if we're really capable of keeping to our word."

"I suppose that makes sense." Takumi looks at me. There's silence. Even though we both have masks on, our gazes have weight to them. "Dueling is a good way of seeing someone's true intentions." Now that I've said that, I feel like a duel between Takumi and I is inevitable.

The duel starts. Miguel's friends cheer for him, while we're all standing here awkwardly. Kaoru tries to make comments about Sasaki's dueling, but no one responds.

The duel is over quickly. Far quicker than any of us expected honestly. Miguel's friends shut up as soon as Sasaki summons Trishula, and it's over in a matter of seconds after that. As much as Sasaki calls herself an amateur, I must admit when she's on a roll, she's unstoppable.

After they ride back to where we're waiting, Miguel shakes Sasaki's hand again. His helmet is off and I can see the sorrow in his eyes. "Good duel. You really got me there with Trishula."

"Yeah, it was. Lavalval Dragon had me panicking for a while there." Sasaki replies.

"Boss," one of Miguel's friends speak up. There's a hint of fear in his voice. "Do you realise who that is?" Oh no.

"No, should I?" He asks, turning around to them.

"That's  _The Fabled Bitch_." I have to resist the urge to cackle. The fear in his voice, paired with that name, makes for an entertaining situation. Sasaki and Yuudai as The Fabled Bitch are interchangeable at this point. Just because they know that identity doesn't mean that can track Sasaki down that easily.

"You know what?" Another of his friends ask. "I thought The Fabled Bitch would be a chick, you know, with that name and all."

"Dudes can be bitches too, Callum." This makes Miguel laugh.

"Well, Yuudai," he turns back to Sasaki with a sombre face, "you get all of the Phantom Riders territory." He bites his lip. "You're doing a good thing. Maybe you're what this City needs. Best of luck." Miguel shakes

"You tried your best, Boss." One of his friends say as they all circle him. One of them grabs him in a headlock. "We still have each other."

The despair is almost tangible in the air. Sasaki's and Kaoru's aura sink. In fact, Sasaki's aura is spiralling. The deafening silence between us continues as they drive away.

Takumi walks away, followed quickly by Kaoru.

But I stand there, and wait.

I wait for Sasaki to say something. She looks at me, her mask still not put back on. She looks guilty. Still, she says nothing. She turns away from me, and stares towards the Satellite. I suppose she has nothing to say to me. After I thought things were starting to change, this happens. I suppose it felt nice to get closer to her, when Takumi only seeming to be getting further and further away from me. I start to walk away, when I hear the roar of Sasaki's D-Wheel.

* * *

One night, Takumi's phone rings at four in the morning. I assume the worst.

"Kaoru?" His voice is groggy from sleep. Something happened to Yuuka. "Wait, what?" My blood runs cold. Takumi is panicking. "Do you know who?" I sit up in the bed and place my hand on Takumi's back, which is turned to me. "I suppose we'll see when she wakes up then." A pause. "What do you mean  _don't come to the hospital_? I don't care if your mom is there, Kaoru. Oh,  _Yusei_ gets to be there and I don't? My best friend is in critical condition and I want to make sure she's okay." Critical? I flop back onto the bed, unable to hold myself up anymore. I feel sick to the stomach. What actually happened? Waiting until Takumi hangs up seems too painful to bear. "Too suspicious? I'm her best friend, Kaoru. Not some sketchy guy showing up." Another pause. "Fine, I'll go during visiting hours." Takumi hangs up suddenly without saying goodbye.

"So?" I mutter into the darkness of the room.

"She's not dead-"

"Yet."

"She was just in a Riding Duel accident."

"It's four in the morning." I glance at his phone, still on the lock screen.

"I know, they don't know who she was dueling…"

"So, someone from…"

"Yeah, we need to figure out who did it." He sighs. "I bet you it's Cardinal Dragons."

"No," I mutter. "That doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't matter who did it." He starts to lie back down. "As long as we get them back." There's a pause. "Let's just go back to bed, since we can't do anything right now."

The only sound is Takumi shuffling to get comfortable again. The room is just about as dark as my mind right now.

"I can't believe you're trying to sleep while your best friend could be on her deathbed."

"Kenta-"

"You go out of your way to tell people she's your best friend. Yet, you don't seem very worried about her. All you're talking about is getting revenge. I thought Team Liberation is about ending that cycle of violence."

"It's obviously a gang that's still left, Kenta. We have to fight them anyway. Whatever gang that was, we'll fight them next. Show them that no one can mess with Team Liberation."

"What if it's not?"

"What?" Takumi asks in surprise.

"What if it's someone we've already taken out? What if they're continuing that cycle of violence? What then? Then, we're only making that problem worse."

"No, it's The Cardinal Dragons. I'm sure of it."

"I'm not sure of it." I sigh. "It's The Jackals. I knew something was going to happen. And now, Yuuka is in the hospital and I don't know if she'll be okay."

"Yuuka?"

"Yes, she's in the hospital. That's what we're talking about."

"Not that." There's a pause. "You've just never called her that before."

"Don't change the topic of conversation. I'm still mad at you."

"I was just-"

"No, The Jackals are the ones who did this." I pause. Takumi doesn't respond, so I continue. "That's what I'm sure of. I can feel it."

"Let's talk about this in the morning." Takumi's voice is definite.

That's all what he says.

He doesn't even kiss me. He's always done that. Whenever we've woken up during the night. He's always used to either kiss me or cuddle me until I fell asleep. And now? Nothing. Not even a  _goodnight_. This relationship is starting to crumble faster than I can comprehend.

And the next morning? We didn't talk about it. Takumi simply pretended like last night's discussion didn't happen. We try to visit Sasaki, only for the nurse to tell us that Yusei Fudo has been sitting in her room for the last three hours. I, surprisingly, convince Takumi to leave them alone and just come up again tomorrow at the start of visiting hours. To my surprise, we beat everyone else to the hospital and get in first to see her.

"How are you doing?" Takumi asks once we've greeted her and sat down. I also left the cup of hot chocolate I got in the hospital shop on her little tray table. I figured she'd appreciate that.

"Head hurts, but I've been worse." Sasaki looks reasonably fine. Her head and arms are covered in bandages. Kaoru said something about not having protective gear and the tarmac roads shredding her arms when she crashed. Her concussion must be really bad if she's not mentioning her arms, which must be raw red. Sasaki seems a bit out of it. But aside from that, she seems to be okay. But there's something about her aura. She seems  _shaken_. I suppose that accident would have done that, but that doesn't feel right.

"Yeah, that's why I got you the hot chocolate." I respond. "All of the caffeine in an Americano would have been too much for you, probably." In that moment, I see a glimpse of genuine surprise and softness in Sasaki. She smiles at me, for what feels like the first time. That act of kindness is probably what she needs right now, when everyone else is freaking out around her.

"Was the attack deliberate?" Takumi ruins the nice atmosphere with his question. Sasaki's face hardens.

"Seems like it," she answers softly. Sasaki seems uncharacteristically scared, and quiet. I send a glare to Takumi. She's clearly not ready to talk about this, and we shouldn't force her.

"Do you know who did it?"

"No," she sighs.

"What do you mean no?" Takumi's body language becomes incredibly stiff, while Sasaki seems to make herself smaller.

"I can't remember."

"Why can't you remember? It happened yesterday."

"Takumi, she has a  _concussion_." God, can't he shut up for once? Even Sasaki knows when not to keep pressing.

"But still, she's a psychic. Her healing factor should have kicked in. That's no excuse." I spot Takumi gritting his teeth. He's completely focused on me, not even paying attention to Sasaki. He came here to visit his  _best friend_ , and this is what it's evolved into. A continuation of the argument when she got into the accident.

"She was out for a week last time. I think it's fair to say that it doesn't apply here." I turn in my seat so that I'm looking right at him. He just huffs at me.

"You should have been able to read their aura." Takumi completely ignores me, and turns back to Sasaki. "Wouldn't you have recognised them?"

"It wasn't an aura that I was familiar with." Takumi narrows his eyes, and lowers his head as to avoid everyone's eyes. Sasaki didn't interact with neither the boss nor the second in The Jackals. It must have been one of them.

"So, it was either Cross Syndicate or Cardinal Dragons." Sasaki flinches, she must agree with me. "That's what you're saying." Given the fact Sasaki was in Black Flag, I think she would have recognised a Cardinal Dragon member, even at least partially.

"Not necessarily." I speak up. "It could be someone from The Jackals or The Phantom Riders. You never know."

"Why would they attack her directly? We have a base if they want their territory back." I say nothing. Takumi just runs his hand through his hair. "This whole thing is giving me a headache." Did he really just say that in front of Sasaki, who is currently suffering from a  _concussion_? I look at Sasaki, shake my head and sigh, before standing up.

"I think it's best that we leave." Takumi looks at me, confused. I keep staring at him until he gets the message. "I hope you get out today, Sasaki. I know you hate hospitals." I nod to her, which she subtly returns. Takumi leaves without saying anything.

I realise something. They attacked her directly because they recognised her aura. But that aura isn't hers alone. Kaoru has the same aura, and he was the one who dueled the leader of The Jackals. I leave that to the side for now. Because, at this point in time, I have more beef with Takumi than Sasaki's attacker.

"You just proved me right." I say once we're outside of the room. "You're not acting like you care about Sasaki at all."

"She's fine, Kenta. You saw her. She'll be fighting with us again, once she gets over that concussion."

"Once she-" I shut myself up while we're walking through the lobby. I give a small nod to Yusei, as he makes his way up to Sasaki, since we've been introduced recently. "Takumi, she is your friend. You can't talk about her like that. She's not a weapon. You're sounding like Raiden." I've never had the displeasure of meeting him, but that's the impression I got of him from Takumi. "I don't know if you're in a bad mood or something. But, I do not like the way you're acting."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know Yuuka won't let you treat her like Raiden did." I sigh as I see Takumi trying not to listen to me. It's then I realise. Yuuka is more on my side now, than Takumi will ever be. "She'll leave, Takumi, and she won't come back."

* * *

Takumi, although he pretended to ignore, took my words to heart. He helped Yuuka track down her attacker, who she dueled against and won. And who was he? The former second in The Jackals. Who would have guessed it? Oh wait, that's me. He attacked her because he thought she was Kaoru, who defeated his boss. Maybe I should be a fortune teller, and have a big sign that say  _psychic_  outside of my shop. Now, Takumi is being overly friendly to Yuuka, to make up for him being a dick in the hospital. If I hear him asking her to go to Psycho once more, I'm going to scream.

We move onto the next gang pretty quickly. We can't let everyone know that we were weakened by an attack. I'm sure everyone has heard about it by now. Yuuka has said that she's in good enough condition to fight. Takumi and I sit alone on a random wall near the base, waiting for Yuuka and Kaoru. He's complaining that Yuuka being injured might jeopardise us later on, as if he's expecting a fight. I tell him to shut up, which puts me in a bad mood. He, then, gets excited at the thought being able to go with Yuuka to Psycho soon. I don't think she's actually agreed to go, but I don't say anything.

There's another reason I decided to act now. The reason that I'm acting rashly, something which I don't like doing. To stop Takumi taking his worldwide idea too seriously. If we take out the gangs sooner rather than later, maybe, just maybe, that idea won't come to fruition. Then, and only then, could we leave gang life peacefully. I don't want to go down fighting for Team Liberation in a distant city. I want to live in peace after all this is done.

"So, when are we going to Psycho again?" He says as soon as she arrives. I mentally try to block the conversation immediately, but I know my brain likes to process every single thing around it. I start to pace. I can't handle small talk right now.

"Isn't Psycho that one psychic bar?" Kaoru asks, then looks at Takumi. "Why would you go there?"

"I'm allowed to go. I support psychics, nothing can stop me going." Takumi can be so pathetic at times. He's insecure that he's the only non-psychic in a psychic world. He's at a natural disadvantage for once in his life. Can you imagine? The tragedy of not being a psychic, heartbreaking, I know.

"Some non-psychics go there." Yuuka shrugs her shoulders. "It's a fun time. I'll probably go back once this whole thing's blown over." There's silence. I think the small talk has ended.

"Come on," I look to Takumi. I put my mask on, a sign that I'm ready to go.

"Maybe we should wait," Yuuka says as soon as everyone else starts to move. For once, Yuuka is being the patient one. I want to tell her why, but I can't find the courage.

"Why would we wait?" Takumi asks.

"I think we should too." Kaoru says while staring at Yuuka.

"No." I answer. "There's no point in waiting. We're walking in, talking and walking out. We don't need to wait." I want to tell them, but I can't. I start walking, Takumi right behind me.

"Ah." I hear Yuuka gasp in pain. "I've been binding for a solid half an hour, and I'm already in pain."

"What are you using to bind?" I ask without looking at her.

"Ace bandages," she answers.

"Don't do that. You'll hurt your ribs." She asks what should she use instead, but I don't want to get into that now. I just want to get this over with. Besides, I don't think Kaoru knows I'm trans yet so there's that.

We finally reach the Cross Syndicate's entrance. I feel the building tightly packed with auras. This is dangerous. They knew we were coming. Are we looking at an ambush?

"We're Team Liberation. We demand to see your leader." I shout at the guy waiting at the door for us. He towers over me, so I feel the need to shout at him.

"So, you're inviting yourself in, are you?" A deep voice booms out of the man. "You do realise that you're showing up uninvited?" Uninvited? We told them we were coming. Granted, they didn't respond. Responses aren't always expected in gang wars, direct action is.

"Bring me to your leader."

"And what if I refuse?" He's baiting me into a fight. He's leaning on the door frame, with this big smirk on his face. I have to play this game.

"Then, I'll duel you." I hold up my duel disk. This is my best option, it's non-violent. This guy isn't a psychic, so he shouldn't know that I'm one. I feel the auras inside the building flare. Is this it?

"Now,  _Kevin_." Takumi grits his teeth and uses my undercover name. "Let's not cause a hassle."

"Well now, I'm not a duelist." The guy guarding the door says. "But since you're looking for a fight, we'll give you one." He points up to the building. The auras start to shift one by one. The guy guarding the door pushes me back. I trip over my own feet and fall to the ground. He jumps in the door, locking it behind him.

The first attack, a lightning arrow, rains down and hits Yuuka's arm. A fire attack comes down next, but misses. Takumi pulls me off the ground and behind a dumpster. We must be out of sight as all of the gang members hopping out of the ground floor windows give chase to Yuuka and Kaoru.

I take a deep breath and activate my duel disk. This is an ambush, and they planned this. I suppose we're not playing fair anymore. I place Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier on my duel disk. I will it to materialise. The dragon's appearance scares people out of the building. Gungnir attacks the top floor of the building, which is empty. I grab Takumi's arm and make a run for it. People follow us. Gungnir blocks the path with ice shards, which are destroyed in a matter of seconds, but they're being slowed down.

My power is enough to attract a lot of people. I summon Brionac to keep them back, but it's not enough. Kaoru comes to my side to help, and that he does. I feel Yuuka's aura suddenly manifest. Was she just unconscious? I send Kaoru after her.

The leader of The Cross Syndicate walks straight up to me and challenges me to a duel. If he wins, he gets our territory, and vice versa. Either way, the fighting stops. I look at the ground underneath my feet, and in the courtyard that I'm standing in. The entire thing is covered in ice. I must be panicking more than I realise. I agree.

In just a few turns, the duel is over. Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier takes longer to disappear because I put the most effort into materialising it. The leader is on his back. His scream was enough to get the attention of Yuuka and Kaoru, who make their way towards me. I start to walk over to the leader.

"So I won," I begin. I feel my aura flare, and then flicker. God, I hate dueling with my powers. My eyes are glowing, it makes it difficult to see, especially considering my mask is on. "That means-"

"I surrender!" The leader throws his hands up. I begin to walk away, and I already hear him scrambling.

I hear Takumi laughing and patting Kaoru on the back.  _One more_. That's a lie. Takumi is lying. He's using us. Takumi did nothing just there. He stood by while we fought those psychics for him. He gets to claim all of the glory as leader. He's  _profiting_ off us.

I lean against a wall to catch my breath, which I'm starting to lose. The inside of my mask feels wet. Blood, no doubt.

"What's wrong?" Yuuka asks as she approaches me.

"Nothing," I mumble. She stares at me, no mask. Her face is covered in blood. This is Takumi's fault. We're risking our lives, while he does nothing.

"Kenta." Yuuka's voice is firm.

"Everything's all wrong." My head starts shaking violently. Everything feels tight, I can't breathe. I rip my mask off, throwing to the ground, in an attempt to get air into my lungs. Is Takumi even doing this because he believes in this? Or is he just using us to get power for himself? Is this just a game to control the entire city? He knew Yuuka wouldn't leave Black Flag unless there was an incentive, and this was it. "It's only getting worse." Tears start building up in my eyes. How much more will Takumi lie? Has our relationship been a lie? I can't tell what's real anymore. Yuuka's hand moves towards me, but I jerk away.

"Kenta, what's going on?" Yuuka lowers her voice, to not much more than a whisper. My head shakes violently again. As Yuuka moves closer to me, I only get further away.

"I can't…" I whisper. "I just can't tell you." Yuuka looks confused and moves even closer towards me. I panic and jerk away from her. I do the only thing I know, run. I nearly trip over my mask, which sends it flying towards Yuuka's feet. But I keep running.

I need to rethink a lot of things.


	8. Ignorance II

_Kenta_

* * *

The next gang comes so quickly that I don't have enough time to come up with a plan. I consider telling Yuuka about Takumi. Telling Kaoru doesn't seem like a good option. Outside of Yuuka, I can't seem to figure out where his loyalties lie. Maybe the next gang comes so quickly, because they made the first move.

I'm awoken by another phone call at four in the morning. This time, it's not about Yuuka. But Yusei. I get Takumi to put the phone on speaker. Kaoru tells us that Yusei has been missing since the afternoon, and Yuuka is convinced that it's The Cardinal Dragons. I agree with her, and so does Takumi. Kaoru tells us to meet them at Poppo Time, where Yusei lives, and sends us directions. We get a taxi since they're taking Kaoru's D-Wheel.

Yuuka's friend, Crow, opens the door. He seems surprised to see us of all people, which is fair.

"I'm guessing that you're Kenta and Takumi?" Aki Izayoi asks. She makes a face at Crow, who seems confused. She must have figured out what's going on.

"What are you doing here at this time?" Jack Atlas asks next.

"We have an idea where Yusei is, but I'll let Yuuka do the explaining." I turn to Crow. "Could I be able to get a cup of coffee? We'll be needing it." He merely nods at me before going to do it. When he's back with the cup, he's on his phone and he opens the garage for Kaoru's D-Wheel.

Yuuka freezes upon noticing Yusei's D-Wheel in the garage. We can't track him that way, that's what she's thinking. There will be a ransom call soon, no doubt.

"Yuuka? What's wrong?" Izayoi asks as Yuuka begins to pace around the room. She makes her way to where I'm standing. She seems unable to breathe.

"Drink this," I hand her the cup. "I know you haven't had any." She gulps it down. It looks like it shouldn't spill, but Yuuka is walking so fast that it's questionable.

"Yuuka?" Crow asks. Turns out, Kaoru has enough anxiety about Yuuka spilling coffee that he holds the cup for her.

"It's my…" Yuuka mutters. "It's my fault." She finishes when Crow asks her to repeat.

"What does that mean?" Izayoi asks. Yuuka's knuckle turn white. She presses her fists even closer to her chest.

"Answer us!" Jack shouts. Yuuka finally stops pacing.

"It's my fault Yusei got kidnapped!" The room goes silent.

"What?"

"I was right," Izayoi mutters. Everyone's eyes go to her.

"What do you know?" Takumi asks, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yusei and I were attacked a few months ago by a duel gang, but some members of Team Liberations saved us. I thought it was impossible because we were saved by two guys, but no." Aki pauses. For once, Kaoru's composure breaks. "Yuuka and Kaoru were the ones who saved us."

"Yuuka, is this true?" Jack glares at Yuuka. Interesting that Jack Atlas was the one to get the most reaction out of Yuuka. She makes herself smaller, with a guilty look in her eyes.

"So you're the infamous Yuudai, huh?" Crow's eyebrows furrow. "The one who gave Black Flag to? You never gave up gangs in the first place. You lied to us."

"No." Yuuka coughs. "I mean, yes. But I did it to protect all of you." She takes a deep breath. If I could describe her aura, right now, in one word, I'd call it  _unstable_. "Gangs here are different from the Satellite. If my identity got leaked, you'd all be in grave danger." I notice that her fists are trembling.

"So you had this planned from the start?" Yuuka's composure only begins to crack more and more.

"I had this planned before the Fortune Cup, okay? Then all that shit happened so it only started after Christmas."

"You could have told us." Crow steps closer to Yuuka. "I thought you trusted us!"

"I do," Yuuka keeps stepping back in my direction. We're getting nowhere. "I just don't know-"

"This is an argument best saved for another time." I step between Yuuka and Crow. Everyone seems surprised by my intervention. "But Yusei Fudo has been kidnapped, and we need to get him back. I suspect we'll get the ransom call soon." The room goes silent, finally.

"Do you know who it was?" Jack asks.

"Most likely a gang called Cardinal Dragons. They're the only gang whose territory we haven't conquered." Takumi stares at Yuuka. He looks like he has an idea about something, maybe why they decided to target Yusei.

"You've gotten that far?" Crow asks.

"There weren't many gangs left after the fall of Black Flag. A huge turf war started and about half of them got knocked out." Yuuka nods.

"Wait a minute," Jack interjects. "I fought the leader of the Cross Syndicate a few weeks ago."

"They were a gang that we knocked out, but we still allowed them to keep doing whatever illegal stuff they were doing and just took their territory." Kaoru answers. "Apparently, they were more known for their illegal stuff rather than being a duel gang."

The room fades back into silence. Yuuka starts pacing, not that anyone is paying attention to her. She passes by Takumi and I, then Takumi's phone starts to ring. He hands her the old block phone, the one specifically for gang stuff.

"Hello?" She answers. A pause. "That's me." We wait as she listens to the person on the other end. I hear the phrase  _Cardinal Dragons_. Our intuition was right.

"We were right. It is Cardinal Dragons." Takumi says, putting the phone back in his pocket. "They never specified that you come alone so we'll leave as a team."

"What about us?" Crow steps forward. "We can help too! Jack and I were in a duel gang before, we can help."

"I can help too. I'm a psychic." Izayoi chips in.

"Where's Bruno?" Yuuka asks. I'm assuming he's part of this friend group.

"Out looking for Yusei. He's been searching for hours at this stage, we need to tell him to come back." I'm barely listening to Crow because I'm watching Yuuka as she starts to run up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jack all but shouts at her.

"Getting changed, I'm bringing the fight to them. We're going to conquer their territory and settle this once and for all." I follow her up the stairs. I manage to catch up to her in the kitchen.

"Wait a second."

"Kenta, I don't-" I shush her. I reach into my backpack which contains my disguise.

"Here's a binder." I place the folded-up pristine white binder into her hands. "You told me you were using ace bandages, so I got you this so you weren't hurt yourself again. I know that's why you passed out during the thing with Cross Syndicate. I just kinda guessed with your size, might be a bit big."

"Thank you," Yuuka has this sad smile on her face. Right now, I know that's all she can manage. "I mean it. You didn't have to go to all this effort for me."

"No problem, I needed a new binder too anyway." I try to play it off, but she chuckles, which makes me embarrassed. "Hurry up getting changed." I wave my hand at her, telling her to go. I turn to go back downstairs. Then, I remember something crucial. "Oh, you step into inside out and pull it up."

"Thanks," she nods ever so slightly. I can't help but chuckle as she makes a confused face. A look of realisation spreads across her face when she looks back down at the binder, which she's unfolded. She nods at me again, before climbing up the ladder to the next floor.

* * *

After we win against The Cardinal Dragons, silence hangs in the air. No one knows what to think. My brain is still trying to comprehend everything. Yusei was completely fine, sitting in their so-called base alone and tied up. After freeing him, the leaders found us in the Daimon Area. The second stabbed Yuuka, breaking her mask and wig in the process. They already knew who she was. They tried to break her mentally. He told everyone that she did something horrible in the Satellite, gave herself alcohol poisoning to try to forget it, and then when that failed, tried to kill herself. Not only that, but whatever happened in the Satellite was so traumatic for her that it caused Kaoru's powers to manifest and that's why they can hear each other's thoughts. Which explains too much. All of this happened, only for Yuuka to go berserk. Anako Senmatsu, a powerful psychic who vanished from Black Flag a long time ago, appeared and declared her love for Yuuka. While pretending to be Yuudai, Yuuka's disguise. That part confuses me. Kaoru did tell her, turns out. I don't care at this particular moment in time. Yuuka gave her Team Satisfaction speech, convinced the second to come to our side. Then, the leader gave her the ultimatum, fight off the remaining members of The Cardinal Dragons or lose everything. We fought and won. Yuuka got me to use the glimpse of Shinji's aura, which I'm not questioning right now, and make it into Raiden's, which it's very similar to. She used Raiden's dragon, which Jasper attacked her with on two occasions, her own dragon, and Yusei's too. Only for her to pass out from blood loss and overuse of her powers.

Which leads to this exact moment, in which I'm waiting for Yuuka to wake up again.

Nico, everyone's favourite psychic doctor, arrives to check on Yuuka. I don't even pay attention to what he does. Or what anyone around me says. Something, something, Yuuka has a boyfriend.

Yuuka, despite supposedly being unconscious, decides to start shouting in Spanish. The sudden shouting gives me anxiety, so I stand besides Takumi, and from him just being in the general proximity makes me feel better.

Kaoru gets angry, probably about the boyfriend thing. Apparently, no one knew that Yusei and Yuuka were dating. Which I find to be bullshit because that was obvious.

"Kaoru, how'd you not know they were dating?" I hear Shinji start laughing.

"Dude, I don't even think he's noticed that Kenta and I have been dating the entire time?" Takumi absolutely howls with laughter.

That catches my attention.

"What?" Kaoru exclaims as his face falls. His face is contorted by the confusion. He looks to Anako, who just shrugs her shoulders. I see disbelief, and a hint of betrayal in his eyes. Have I missed something? Has there been more going on with Takumi than I've realised?

As quick as the question enter my head, they leave because the leader of The Cardinal Dragons is admitting defeat to Yuuka. Just as soon as we have that satisfaction, it is ripped away by a phone call. Not just any phone call, one from Raiden Kimura himself.  _Guess I'll have to come and snatch it back._  I feel the vomit rise in my throat.

That's one more problem to add to the list. Another ex-gang leader who just wants power. Like we haven't seen that before.

* * *

Takumi plans a giant night out for everyone in Psycho. And by everyone, I mean Team Liberation. Plus Shinji, for some reason. I know the reason. Because he's friends with Takumi, and the night is celebrating how great Takumi is for doing all of this. Like Yuuka and I didn't do most of the work.

At this point, I'm just constantly annoyed at him. But still, I'm afraid of what he could do.

Takumi insists we bring our duel disks to the party, in case we, meaning everyone there, want to duel for fun. I go to question him, but I don't. I doubt he realises that letting psychics duel while they're losing their inhibitions to alcohol is not a good idea.

I'm wondering if I should just leave. Even if it means being on my ass.

But I don't have a gang to turn to this time. I would really be out on my own.

I manage to avoid Takumi at the party, without raising suspicion. I make rounds around the room making small talk. Given everything I've heard about Yusei Fudo, especially his reluctance to give press interviews, I'm surprised how friendly he seems to be. I suppose Yuuka must have put in a good word. Then, I notice him making a face at Takumi when he approaches Yuuka for shots. Has he caught on? Because he doesn't seem to care when Shinji does the same.

"Help me," I say to Yuuka once she finishes her shot.

"He's not drunk yet." She laughs, clearly a little buzzed already. Takumi being drunk is hardly the worst of my problems.

"I know, but Kaoru's nearly there." I shake my head, going along with it. "I don't know what he's like drunk. You're not drunk thankfully."

"You first met me when I was drunk." Yuuka says, sounding a little nostalgic. The only nostalgia I get from that memory is happier times with Takumi.

"It wasn't a good first impression, though." I sigh. "It was the time I went to a club with Takumi, it was literally just as we started dating. He's drunk, walks face first into a streetlamp. You and Shinji are also drunk. You lose your shit laughing and then walk into the same pole."

"Classic story," She laughs again. "But we're friends now and that's what matters."

"Yeah, I guess." I never would have predicted that I get along better with Yuuka over Takumi. Gods, how bad have things gotten? When's the last time Takumi even pretended to care about me?

"You consider us friends?" Yuuka puts a hand on my shoulder. For once, I don't jerk away. "I feel so blessed right now." She wipes away a fake tear from her eye. I roll my eyes. She's definitely a bit buzzed now. I say goodbye to her before she gets drunk. That's Yusei's job to deal with.

I walk back to the only person in the room who I haven't properly talked to. Miguel, the former leader of The Phantom Riders. He joined my conversation with Felix earlier, but that wasn't anything proper. He meets my eyes before I get to him. He stands there with a smile on his face, aware that I'm walking towards him.

"Great party, eh?" He holds up his red plastic cup, presumably full of alcohol. "The name's Kenta, isn't it? We didn't get a proper introduction last time."

"Yep, that's me. Now, you know my real name, instead of my fake one." I shrug with a chuckle. There's not much rum in this cup, half a measure, but it's definitely affecting me.

"I like that name. It means  _big and strong_ , doesn't it?" He ruffles the top of my head. My head doesn't even go past his shoulder, now that I'm standing beside him. And his shoulders are so broad. I feel him making fun of me, but I can't feel but notice how well that meaning fits  _him_.

"Thanks, I picked it out for myself." I note his reaction carefully, now that it's out there.

"Good choice, taking over the City is no easy task." No reaction. None at all. Then I realise something important. Miguel is from the Satellite, which is notorious for having a shit ton of orphans walking around and forming gangs. Gods I'm stupid.

"Yeah, that happened." I'm trying to brush off my embarrassment. I basically admitted I'm trans to a cute stranger, just to see his reaction. Maybe he didn't figure it out. Maybe it's fine. Did I just admit I think he's cute again? I'm in a relationship. It may just be in name only, but the point still stands.

"Your face is all red, are you okay?" He puts a hand to my forehead, and I have to resist the urge to collapse on the spot.

"This always happens when I drink." I wave my hand, which makes him pull back, thankfully. "But I have a question for you."

"Shoot," he nods.

"Why did you come help us when we were fighting against The Cardinal Dragons?"

"Well," he exhales. "Felix had already helped you before. I wanted to help too. I heard the fighting from my apartment, and I just couldn't help it. Yuuka inspired me. She said that this cycle of violence should be broken. Gangs don't need to exist. They don't help anyone, as much as they bring them together. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Doing it without using violence, breaking that silence. Trying to let people live their own lives. This isn't the Satellite anymore. You don't need to join a gang, just to save your own neck. I wanted it to stop, just as much as she did. The world's changing right now, so we should too."

"Yeah," I mutter as I stare at his face intently. "I have another question." He nods again. "If you could stop gangs all over the world, Team Liberation style, would you do it?"

"No," he shakes his head. "If this revolution inspires the world, so be it. But you knew this City, you don't know the rest of the world. I don't want to speak for people who can do that for themselves. I don't want to fight their revolution for them. This revolution was dangerous enough. You need to stop, because you've earned the right to." He sighs. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," I say as my eyes go to Takumi on the other side of the room. I catch Miguel following my eyes.

"So, you all are going to Psycho tonight?" Miguel swiftly turns the conversation around. "I haven't been, but Felix is badgering me to go with him."

"Well, if you like nightclubs, you'll like Psycho." I shrug my shoulders. "They let Takumi in, so they'll let you in."

"Good to hear," he nods. "Oh," he gasps, "I found something out tonight that I think you'll like. Turns out, that gang I was part of back in the Satellite, before Team Satisfaction disbanded them, they were called Fear Unit." The name is familiar to me somehow. "They wanted to kidnap one of Team Satisfaction to weaken them before striking. Turns out, that person was only friends with them, and not part of the gang. And guess who that was?"

"Are you telling Yuuka wasn't actually part of Team Satisfaction?"

"Yeah, why-"

"I can't believe that bitch was smart enough to keep that lie going for like three years." Miguel bursts out laughing at this. "No, I'm serious. That's what she told everyone. She told the story different for Team Liberation to hide her identity, but no, that's what actually happened." I turn to look at Yuuka, who's currently giving Yusei heart eyes, so I decide to pull her up on this later. "I can't believe that."

"I can tell that by looking at your face." Miguel chuckles. Then I realise my jaw has kinda been hanging open, and I quickly shut it. "Okay, that's the funniest thing that's happened tonight. And I've had Jack Atlas squint at me across the room because I said he once punched me in the face."

"Was that because your gang kidnapped Yuuka?"

"Yeah, they left me guarding the door."

"At least he didn't break that nice jaw of yours."

Miguel stares at me in surprise. Then I realise that I'm slipping again. I need to stop drinking this rum, or I'll say more embarrassing shit. No one wants this. Except for Miguel who will inevitably get a string of compliments.

Everything gets worse when I catch Takumi staring at me from across the room. He starts to move outside. Oh gods.

"I need to go talk to Takumi about something-"

"At least let us trade numbers first." Miguel interrupts. "I don't know about you, but I want to continue this conversation later." He hands me an open flip phone, already on the  _add contact_  screen. I didn't even notice him do that. I nod rapidly, just going along with it. I give him my phone, and put my number in his. "Have fun," he gives me an eyebrow raise as he lets me go. I feel dirty. I didn't do anything  _bad_. Just the way we talked makes me feel like I'm betraying Takumi. I sigh to myself, and follow Takumi out the big shutter doors out of the garage.

Takumi stands out in the courtyard, not facing me. I see him holding the bag with our duel disks in it.

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask him tentatively.

"I see what you're doing." I freeze. Miguel and I may have casually flirted and swapped numbers, but nothing bad has happened yet. I haven't stepped over a line yet.

"What are you-"

"I heard you ask Miguel if he would continue Team Liberation." He turns to face me, he looks pissed off. "Did you get the answer you want?"

"I did." I state bluntly.

"And what was that?"

"Don't speak for people who can speak for themselves. Don't fight their revolution for them. If they're inspired by us, so be it. If they want us to help, we'll help them. But we shouldn't get involved in their fight, not when they don't want us."

"Really?" Takumi scoffs. "Are you that arrogant to think that gangs all over the world know what we've done. Are you saying that they definitely realise that they need to change? You think that these are separate revolution for every single city, for every single country. You're foolish, Kenta. This is only one revolution. Gangs only exist to service that cycle of violence. Once a revolution starts, it will never end. If we don't continue our work, this will all have been pointless."

"You're wrong." I blurt out. "You lied, Takumi. This was your intention all along, wasn't it? You said Neo Domino, and then we could live in peace. This goes against all that entirely. All I want is to be happy. I don't want to keep fighting."

"That wasn't my intention from the beginning." Takumi shakes his head. "You're just exaggerating things. I knew we had to continue this work when Yuuka won us The Red Serpents. The way she was able to win a gang, all without having to raise a fist or duel disk. I knew it had to be this way. Listen to me, Kenta. This is the way it has to be."

"No, it doesn't."

There's a pause. The silence is so thick that it's almost tangible.

"I see how it is." Takumi glances at the bag of duel disks on the ground. "Remember you once said that  _dueling is the best way of seeing someone's true intentions_. I think we should put that to the test." He throws my duel disk at me, deck already in the holder. Do I trust myself to duel? Between the emotions and alcohol, can I really control my powers? Takumi stares me down, waiting for me to activate my duel disk. So I do. I throw away any care of losing control of my powers. Maybe then, he would understand how I feel.

He doesn't.

The duel goes on and I feel like I'm yelling at a brick wall. He feels the same. But there is one thing I know. Whatever good intentions Takumi started with, they are now gone.

"X-Saber Souza attacks Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" The duel ends just like that. I just stand there as everything fades.

"What's going on?" Yuuka shouts as she comes out into the courtyard, followed by Shinji and Kaoru.

"Nothing," I answer. I stare straight at Takumi, avoiding Yuuka's eyes at all cost, and Takumi only stares right back at me.

"Kenta." She says with more urgency. I turn my eyes to the cloudy night sky, unable to reply. I want to tell her what's going on. I just need to wait until the right time.

"Come on!" Takumi claps his hands together. "Are we going out or not?" That's right. Brush all this under the rug and move onto more important things. Like celebrating Takumi's glorious achievement in leading Team Liberation to a complete and utter victory.

"I'm not going." I reply almost immediately before anyone else can get a word in. Yuuka looks very surprised. Her eyes shift between Takumi and I. Maybe she'll figure it out before I tell her.

"Sure, I'm already tipsy, why not?" Shinji answers Takumi next.

"I'm not going if Kenta's not going." Yuuka say with a harshness in her words. So much that Takumi grits his teeth.

"What about you, Kaoru?" Takumi turns to look at Kaoru. I see what he's doing. I can see it from a mile away. Kaoru has to choose between him and us. Will he choose Takumi or Yuuka?

"Uh," Kaoru's gaze shifts between Takumi and Yuuka, as expected. "Sure, I guess." I have to blink to make sure that I'm seeing this. Kaoru picked Takumi over  _Yuuka_. Something is going on here that I don't like.

"Look after it, will you?" Takumi throws his duel disk to me. Like I'm nothing. He leaves without saying goodbye. Everyone looks confused. Kaoru and Shinji follow Takumi, leaving Yuuka and I alone.

Does he even care about me anymore? He threw his duel disk at me, like I'm someone who just looks after him. Like I'm not someone he cares for. Like I'm not his  _boyfriend_. At this point, I just feel like a pawn in his game. I'm just a powerful psychic that he uses to get what he wants. So is Yuuka. So is Kaoru. We're all just pawns to him now.

"What's going on?" I hear Yuuka ask once they're out of earshot. I don't say anything, because I can't. My very soul feels like it's weighted down with the knowledge that my world is crumbling around me. I start to walk away. I try to suppress the sobs threatening to take over me. It's a long walk home alone.

* * *

The front door slamming shut jolts me awake. I check my phone, four in the morning. I probably cried myself by one. I hear Takumi rooting in the kitchen. I think he's getting a glass of water. He starts whistling as he keeps moving in the kitchen. I wipe the tears off my face, even though they have dried up. My face feels crusty because of them. The bedroom door finally opens again. The bed shifts as Takumi sits down on it. The gentle light of his phone on the lock screen fills the room. He takes his shoes off, then his pants. Finally, he swaps his dress shirt for a t-shirt. He checks his phone before setting it down again, the light disappearing. Then, he lies down. The bed creaks from the change.

"Have fun?" I whisper into the dark.

"Yeah," is all he says. He turns in the bed so his back is towards me. His breathing slows down within a few seconds.

That's it? I don't even get a  _goodnight_. I remember when not getting cuddles before going asleep was like treason. I remember when that progressed to kisses. Now we're here. I can't help but start to cry again. I sense Takumi shift, but he just continues to lie there.

* * *

Another week passes. Takumi barely interacts with me. We might as well be living two separates lives. Yuuka texts me sometimes, but I can't tell her what's wrong. Kaoru has  _stopped_  texting me. No one even interacts with me at all. Except Miguel. We've had full conversations everyday since the party. I should feel bad about talking to him more than my own boyfriend. But I don't think I can honestly call Takumi my boyfriend anymore.

"Do you think Yuuka will agree with you?" I say to him one day, while we're both sitting on the couch, not interacting at all. "Honestly."

"Of course," he answers. "Yuuka is smart. She'll understand that this revolution is too big to stop now."

"I think she's smart enough to realise when to step down."

"Kenta-"

"What about Raiden? He's threatening to take everything away, and probably murder Yuuka while he's at it."

"She's strong enough to take him on." He answers casually. "Raiden's just a blip in our plan."

"Yuuka was in the hospital for a  _week_  the last time she faced him."

"She's stronger now, that's irrelevant."

"Why don't you ask her? I highly doubt she'll agree with you." Yuuka flinches every time someone merely mentions his name. She doubts she can take him now, even when she's become stronger. Raiden is supposedly one of the strongest psychics in the City. She doesn't know if she's strong enough.

"Fine," is all he says.

The first thing I do is text Yuuka. She asks me why Takumi wants to talk. I just tell her that she'll find out. I don't want to sway her. I want to show Takumi that I'm right about her. Yuuka and I arrive at the agreed meeting point, the same gazebo where Team Liberation started. To my surprise, both Kaoru and Takumi are already here. Kaoru is standing in the middle of the gazebo, while Takumi stands at the back, looking over the water. Yuuka looks at me, and I bite my lip. Kaoru and Takumi being here before us? Suspicious. Did they come together? Has Takumi been poisoning Kaoru's mind? If could convince anyone that he's right, it's Kaoru.

"Takumi," Yuuka finally speaks up. He turns around, leaning on the railings. "What is this about?"

"I'm sorry to have called you here, with the WRGP starting and all." Takumi puts a fake smile on, and it's obvious. "But we have urgent business to attend to."

"Then, get on with it." Takumi seems taken aback by my snark. He likes to make things seem far grander than they actually are. He's not going to twist Yuuka's mind, because I won't let him.

"Well, we thought we were finished." Takumi starts pacing. Yuuka leans on a pillar. I make her move over so I can lean on the same one. Right now, she's the only one I trust in here. "But." Takumi turns, facing Yuuka and I. "Ben got a phone call. Raiden Kimura." I feel Yuuka shiver at the mere mention of his name. "He threatened to take our territory and come for Yuuka personally." Yuuka's head lowers slightly. "We need to determine if this is actually a real threat-"

"It is," I answer. "We're talking about Raiden here."

"That's true." Takumi continues pacing. "What are we going to do?"

"How about after the WRGP is over, I go into an underground bunker and come out once everything's blown over?" In any context, I would have taken this as a joke. But I know Yuuka too well, it's not.

"I would suggest having someone with you, twenty four-seven." My brows furrow slightly. "With that person preferably being a psychic. I mean any of your friends are also good choices, especially Izayoi."

"You're right there." Takumi says. "But what are we going to do about our territory? That's the most important thing here. Especially after we worked so hard for it." Yuuka turns to look at me. I glance at her. Disbelief and a hint of betrayal. She's definitely on my side now.

"More important than Yuuka?" I feel myself scowling and it takes all of me not to start yelling. "If Raiden gets to her, he might very well  _murder_ her. But no, you think our territory is more important." I feel Yuuka starting to collapse on herself beside me.

"That's not what I meant." Takumi throws his hands up. "I believe in Yuuka's ability to not get murdered. She survived last time pretty well."

"Barely," I interject. "From what she's said, that's only because she went berserk then which accelerated her healing factor. Meaning she was mostly healed by the time she got to hospital."

"What?" She mutters.

"The feelings you described when you fought Ben and Jasper, and the other time you fought Raiden. They're the same. The same feelings of electricity and your eyes burning. My guess is that you went berserk that time too, you just didn't realise it. Considering your emotional state during both, and it's a sound argument."

"Not that," she answers. My head tilts, letting her continue. "You called me Yuuka. You've never called me that before, you've always just called me Sasaki."

"Uh yeah," I'm too embarrassed to meet her eyes. "We're friends, aren't we?" Is this really my first time calling her Yuuka to her face. "Wait, I have called you Yuuka before. You were berserk at the time so I don't think you remember."

"That's true." She chuckles, making light of the situation. "Most of that time is a blur, so it makes sense."

"Back to business," Takumi interjects. "How will defend the territory? We can't let months of work go to waste." Silence hangs in the air. " _Guys._ " The desperation is evident in his voice.

"Wait until Raiden shows up." Yuuka sighs. "We don't how know or when it's going to happen. He'll come for me first, I can almost guarantee that. My plan is to fight him straight on. Don't even let him come near our territory. This is my fight alone."

"Seems fair," Takumi answers. "But what if you fail? You always need a backup plan, you know that."

"I fail, I die. Simple as." That's all she says. It's unsettling how accustomed to death Yuuka really is. She treats death like an old friend. Maybe that's why her skin is always cold to the touch.

"You won't die," Takumi tries to convince her otherwise. "But your idea of intercepting Raiden before he can do anything is an interesting idea." He turns to Kaoru, who's been silent the entire time. "What do you think?"

"Getting rid of Raiden is my first priority right now," Kaoru says bluntly.

"I agree," I say before looking towards Takumi. "Our territory comes after that."

"I guess," he huffs in response.

We dissolve back into silence. Takumi just paces. Yuuka keeps her eyes on me, which makes me more nervous than I already am. I glance back at her. There seems to be an understanding in her eyes.

"What do you suggest we do?" Yuuka asks. I think she's cracked it.

"I have an idea," Takumi mutters. "I haven't fully thought it through yet. Keep coming up with ideas until I've got this planned out."

"Aren't we supposed to be doing nothing with our territory though? Now that we've conquered it all." I say, looking at Takumi. His eyes darken as he stares back at me. I'm riling him up, and he knows exactly what I'm doing. I'm dragging him and his stupid idea right into the spotlight, and there's nothing he can do about it.

"Technically yes, but if we don't want it to be taken off us, we have to take care of it." Takumi casually leans on the railings of the gazebo.

"Seems tedious," I huff, which makes Takumi more irritated. That's not what we have to do. We've taken out all of the major figures in the gang world. Any attempts to recreate it will fail because no one with any power is left.

"That's a sacrifice we're going to have to make."

"What's this idea of yours?" Everyone's eyes turn to Yuuka. Impatience is starting to show in her voice. "What do you think we should do?"

"Well," Takumi hums. "Increase patrols. Tighten our defences. I want to be ready when he strikes."

"And after that?" She prompts. He's stalling.

"We take him down, once and for all."

"No. I mean, after  _that_." I say. Panic flashes in Takumi's eyes for a split second.

"I thought about increasing our power." Takumi turns his back to us, looking over the pond again. "Taking the fight to where it really needs to go."

"Takumi," I grit my teeth.

"This City isn't the utopia it claims to be." He starts speaking, but ignores me completely. "It mistreats its citizens. Isolating and discriminating against psychics and Satellites alike. That's why gangs are such a big thing here. I want to get back at this City. Get to the root of the problem and get rid of it. Only then can we be free."

"You can't be serious." Yuuka's brows furrow heavily while she shouts at Takumi. "That can't fix this problem. There's no way we can solve this with violence."

"Yuuka, don't be silly." Takumi huffs. "You think words can solve this? This City has never listened to us. I had some hope that it would change with the unification with the Satellite, but it's solved nothing. Satellites and psychics are still treated like second-class citizens. The only way to fix this is through force. Make them see that they can't treat us like this."

"Takumi, that's not an option." I jump in before Yuuka does. Takumi couldn't possibly understand what we go through. "Using violence is only going to make them crack down harder on us. We need to hold marches and demonstrations. Sign petitions, go on strike. Not fight a system that's already punished us enough with more violence."

"What after that?" Yuuka asks, and it breaks Takumi's composure for a split second. She must be able to tell that's not what the big surprise is. "What if we fail? What if we succeed?"

"We keep going," he answers. "We can't stop until psychics and Satellites are treated the same as everyone else. Everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Yuuka echoes.

"Why stop at this City alone?" Takumi's eyes grow wide as if a new world has opened up to him. "This problem exists everywhere in the world. I can't sit back and watch this happen."

"Takumi!" Yuuka's entire body tenses. "What are you thinking?" She moves off the pillar, and stands in front of him. "You told us Cardinal Dragons was the end. You lied to us." Takumi backs away from her. "Unless." He gulps. "This was your plan along." He stays silent, not meeting her gaze. " _Takumi_."

"This is not your fight." I join Yuuka, right in front of Takumi. "You are neither a psychic or a Satellite. You have no place making this decision."

"I do," Takumi says. "I am neither so I have the loudest voice. No one would listen to you otherwise."

"You're gaining power from our plight." Yuuka's body starts shaking. Her aura flares. Do I change it? Do I calm her down? I could. But that would be mercy for Takumi's sake. "You're not helping us, Takumi. You're  _using_ us. All you gain from this is power."

"That's not true!" Takumi shouts back at Yuuka. "My boyfriend is a psychic. Most of friends are psychics. You're from the Satellite. I can't stand and watch all of you get mistreated anymore. I have to do  _something_."

"This is not the answer!" Yuuka gets right up in Takumi's face. His back arches back, but his feet remain firm in their spot. "Our answer was to conquer gangs peacefully. I stand by that. If you want to cause a revolution like that, I won't have any part of it." She steps back. The tension which built up in the atmosphere dissipates slightly. Takumi exhales loudly. Yuuka looks to Kaoru, who refuses to meet her eyes.

"Then, you're turning your back on your people." Takumi glares at Yuuka. "There is no revolution without force.  _Once a revolution starts, it will never end._ "

I feel something inside Yuuka's aura snap. She moves so quickly that everything is a blur. I feel her aura, I know what she's going to do.

"Yuuka!" I throw my arm out. With a flick on my wrist, I can her anger from a boiling rage to a calm, collected anger. Yuuka's fist stops, milliseconds away from punching Takumi in the face. Her fist lowers slowly. Takumi flinches, but Yuuka just takes a few steps back.

"You want a fight then?" Takumi asks.

"If that's the only thing that will make you come to your senses, then yes." Yuuka takes a deep breath. It's hard work keeping her so calm.

"I won't duel you," Takumi replies. "Kenta manipulating your emotions will only last so long. Once that's over, you'll use your powers to beat me to a pulp." He's right. While he got her reaction wrong, he still knows her pretty well.

"Then what?" She scoffs. "Hand to hand?" I feel Yuuka's aura starting to flare again.

"Not that either." He shakes his head. "You're stronger than me and we both know that." Yuuka starts squinting at him. She's wondering about that statement, because there doesn't seem to be that much of a power gap.

"You scared?"

"No," he answers bluntly. "You're thinking that there's not that big of a power gap between us, aren't you?" Takumi smiles like he knows he's right, and he probably is. "I imagine your aura's flaring right now, judging by Kenta. You're always stronger when you're like that."

"You're right about that," I answer. Lying here would be pointless. Yuuka smashing Takumi to a pulp won't change anything, I know that.

"So, you won't fight me? That's what I'm hearing."

"That's right." Takumi turns his back on us again. "Kenta already lost a duel to me. There's nothing you two can do to change my mind."

"What if we leave?" The words fall like venom from Yuuka's lips. "Don't doubt me, Takumi. You know I will."

"Kenta won't." Takumi turns back to Yuuka with a fire in his eyes. "I can just find someone to replace you."

"You're wrong." I move to Yuuka's side. "You won't find anyone out there like us.  _Move on_."

"Kenta," Takumi mutters. His eyes are wide and don't move from mine. Is this the first time he's considered the fact that there is somewhere he can go where I won't follow? Is he really that naive?

"Kaoru," Yuuka turns her attention to her brother who has been completely silent so far. "Join us. Don't let him convince you that this is a good idea." He refuses to meet her eyes. " _Kaoru_." He says nothing.

"Kaoru!" I shout at him, but nothing.

"I see how it is." I notice Yuuka's fist clench again.

"See Yuuka," Takumi shakes his head. "Kaoru can see the sense in what I'm saying, isn't that right?" Still, Kaoru says nothing. Does he actually agree with Takumi?

"He's not taking a side," I realise and sigh.

"But Yuuka…" Takumi trails off, looking to the side. "If you're not with me, you're against me. You do realise that?"

"If you're sacrificing our friendship because I won't follow you, then so be it." She glares at him, like they can drill some sense into him. At this point, I know it's pointless. He merely raises his eyebrows at her.

"Then, I guess this is it." Takumi shrugs his shoulders, walking slowly between Yuuka and I. "You're on your own now, Yuuka. I hope you realise that." Takumi stops at the bottom of the steps into the gazebo, and turns his gaze to Kaoru. "Come on. We're done here."

Kaoru pushes himself off the pillar with his foot. His shoulder brushes Yuuka's as he goes to walk down the steps. Yuuka gasps and jumps down the steps, watching them walk away. I follow her, standing silently behind her.

"Kaoru. You've  _betrayed_ me." Venom starts flowing from Yuuka's lips. "I hope you know that. You're going against everything we've fought for. You're going against  _me_." I start moving closer to her. Her aura is flaring and tears are starting to fall. She's feeling the emotions that I've been feeling for the last few months. It hurts to see my friend go through this, but it was inevitable. "I just wish I had let you  _rot_. Turned you away when you needed help. Because that's what you had done to me." She stares at their backs as they walk away. She remains silent until they're out of sight. Then, her aura snaps.

"Yuuka," I whisper and place a hand on her back. She immediately falls to her knees, so quickly that I don't have time to catch her. Sobs shake her entire being. She bangs her fists on the ground, stone lodge themselves into her skin. Her body keeps shaking as dusk's last light disappears. Her aura heats up again, I try to calm her, but that sensation vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. Yuuka is silent for a few minutes. I don't say anything, it doesn't look like she'll respond anything.

Then suddenly, her aura lights up again. She springs back to life. She looks at me, terrified, but says nothing. She glances around us, scanning every single inch. She begins to cry again, and runs off, leaving me in the silence. I stand in the darkness of the park, the street lamps being my only companion. I fiddle with my phone in my hands. I think about my situation.

My only friend has run off because I'm unable to comfort her, only because I'm feeling all of the same things as her. My boyfriend has taken my only other friend, I guess not anymore, and betrayed me. Life is looking pretty shit right now, and I can do nothing as it falls apart in front of me.

I open my phone and traverse to Yusei's number, which we swapped out of convenience after The Cardinal Dragons incident. I type the message very quickly and press send.  _Yuuka's on her way back now. Please take care of her. She needs it._

* * *

Takumi doesn't come home that night. I lie awake, waiting for him. Then, at five in the morning, I decide that he's just not coming. I wake up the next morning, I say morning, but it's one in the afternoon. I turn on the television. It's the first day of the WRGP. I manage to watch the last turn of the Team 5D's duel, where Yusei apparently beat the entire team by himself after the other two lost to the first wheeler. Miguel texts me. His team isn't playing until tomorrow, and he's nervous about following that act. Meanwhile, I tell him that I'm making my morning coffee.

**Kenta:**   _Can you come home? We need to talk._

**Takumi:**   _k_

I keep texting Miguel to keep myself sane. We're literally talking about coffee, and how ridiculously expensive Starbucks is. I slowly get dressed. I make sure I have my keys and phone, because I'll need those. Then, low and behold, Takumi shows up with a Starbucks. He doesn't say anything, and just sits on the couch. I've made up my mind, and I think he has too.

"What are you going to do now that Yuuka won't follow?" I ask him.

"Well, Kaoru is still on my side. I need time to think it through."

"So you're continuing with this? Despite everything we've said?"

"Yes," is all he says.

"Then, Takumi," I sigh. "I don't think this can work?"

"This as in?"

" _Us_ , Takumi."

Takumi sits back on the couch. His head tilts back and he stares at the ceiling. Silence hangs in the air. I try reading his face, but nothing. Does he even care?

"I suppose."

"Is that it?" I clench my fist. "We're breaking up, Takumi, and that's all you can say?  _I suppose_. At least act like you still cared about me at one point. Because right now, I'm questioning that much."

"Kenta-" He moves closer to me.

"No." I stand up off the couch. "It's over, Takumi."

He doesn't say anything more. He just lets me leave. I just keep walking. I don't look back. I don't even look back at the apartment block as I leave it behind. I walk until I'm far away from him. The sunset is starting to set while I sit in the city centre.

I'm on my own again. I've cycled back. I should have known this would have happened. I put too much faith in Takumi, only to have it broken. Here I am again, alone in the world.

Is this how Yuuka left? Homeless and unemployed after leaving Raiden. I'm starting to understand why she did it, regardless of the consequences. All actions have consequences, but now I know that, sometimes, the consequences are worth it.

* * *

I remember Yuuka describing how to get to her family home. I could just go to Poppo Time, but that would involve getting all of Yuuka's friends involved. I think only Yusei tolerates me, because everyone else half blames me for Yuuka lying to them.

I arrive at Yuuka's family home. Her mother, the biological one, answers the door. I'm taken aback because Yuuka is the spitting image of her. If you stuck a blonde wig on the woman, you'd have an older Yuuka. She lets me inside. Yuuka is at Poppo Time, as expected. Kasumi, as she insist that I call her, calls Yuuka and tells her to come over, since we're so far from Poppo Time and she has her D-Wheel. Kaoru passes by me without much of a word. He's getting ready to go out, riding gear and all. Kasumi tells me to wait for Yuuka in the living room. She keep trying to ask me what's wrong, since I look very upset, but I don't want to put my troubles on this poor woman.

Yuuka finally arrives a few minutes later. She looks quite ruffled, probably from interacting with Kaoru, who has finally left. Yuuka brings me upstairs to her bedroom. I begin to tell her to what led me to this exact moment. She brings us red wine to drink. Turns out she hasn't fully dealt with the whole  _leaving Raiden_  thing, and this is a healing experience for the both of us.

We keep talking until the wee hours of the morning. At some point, Yuuka takes my phone to ask Miguel out for coffee, as me. I fall asleep quickly after that. So, when I wake up to a message from Miguel inviting me to sit in the pit for his team's first match, naturally I'm freaking out. I shake Yuuka awake. The shaking doesn't bode well for my slight hangover.

"Shit, what did he say?" She mumbles while trying to sit up.

"Actually, he texted me while you were asleep, and you wouldn't wake up so I texted him myself. He wants me to be, like, in his team's pit." I shrug my shoulders as I try to get the point across. "So, of course my gay ass said yes. Now, I need you to drive me to their match."

"Really?" Yuuka groans. "Fine." She gets up, and throws on her riding jacket. Both of us fell asleep in our regular clothes. "If you want a change of clothes, I have stuff from the men's section and there's some stuff in Kaoru's room but that might be too big for you. You gotta look nice today." She offers, and I slowly walk towards her dresser.

"Cool," I say as I open drawers and look at what she's got. "You not gonna change?" I ask her.

"Nah, at this point I'm just used to wearing the same outfit everyday." She shrugs her shoulders, picking up her riding pads off the floor.

"Miguel said the same thing." I pick out a white skirt with a floral skull pattern on the front. I can tell by the label that it's from the mens' section. "Apparently everyone from the Satellite is like that?"

"Yeah, it's true." I start to look at the jackets on the back of her door, and I choose a plain black leather jacket to match my black jeans. "You're just gonna have to wear those jeans again, nothing I have will fit you."

"I'll survive." A chuckle manages to escape my mouth.

We slowly make our way to the stadium where Miguel's match is, a smaller stadium compared to the one Team 5D's played in, which makes sense considering that team has  _Jack freakin' Atlas and Yusei freakin' Fudo_.

"Good luck," Yuuka winks at me as I put her spare helmet back into the storage compartment of her D-Wheel.

"Don't say it like that. We're just hanging out."

"Sure. You know exactly what this is." I resist the urge to lose my cool.

"Shut up," I say as I roll my eyes. Try to act cool, I tell myself. It's not a date. He might not like me. Hopefully he does, but that's a different story. I need to change the subject. "Thank you Yuuka. For everything."

"You're welcome," she smiles. I mean it. She's helped me a lot without realising it. She makes me feel a little less alone. She's been in the same place as I am now. She's shown me that I can move forward, so I will. Yuuka opens her arms, so I give her a hug. "Go on, kid. He's waiting for you." I smile as I wave her off.

I turn around, exhale deeply, and walk towards the pits in the stadium. Apparently, Miguel added my name to the approved list of people in the pit yesterday,  _before_  he asked me. Which means he expected me to say yes. That takes my brain a few seconds to understand. Miguel meets me in the stadium, because everything is confusing and the signs are misleading. As we enter the pit with his friends, one of them begins to wolf whistle but is quickly silenced.

"Callum, you had one fucking job." I hear one of them whisper harshly. "Act cool when this dude shows up."

"So everyone, this is Kenta. Kenta, that's Callum, you probably guessed that." He begins to go down the line of the guys. "Conrad, Griffin, and Rafael."

"So the entirety of The Phantom Riders? Nice to meet you properly."

"We weren't subtle by calling ourselves Team Phantom, were we?" Miguel starts laugh, joined by everyone else.

"I hope there's no hard feelings, considering…"

"Dude," Callum speaks up. "It's fine, don't worry. We got ourselves into a position before we made the offer so we wouldn't fuck ourselves over. He's," he points to Miguel, "smarter than he looks."

"He looks fucking  _stupid_." Rafael pipes up. Miguel just laughs.

The match is starting soon, so we get over introductions and start getting ready for the match. Griffin is up first, followed by Conrad, and then Miguel last as team captain.

The duel starts and I sit on a chair next to Miguel. He subtly leans his arm on the back of my chair. I hear the other guys whispering, but I try to ignore them. Mostly because my gay brain is overreacting. He must like me, he must be flirting with me. Why else would his friends react like this? Why else would I be here?  _Especially_  since I told him, while drunk, that I was upset because I had just broke up with Takumi.

The duel continues. Miguel has to leave my side for a few minutes, as Conrad loses, but he beats the opponent's final wheeler because he was already weakened. Meaning it's a victory for Team Phantom.

Miguel invites me back to his place for the party they're having. I go along because I don't want to leave him yet, and it's not like I have anywhere else to go. I don't want to intrude on poor Yuuka's mom when Yuuka herself isn't there. The party is fun. A game of  _never have I ever_  means that I learn far too much about these people. Miguel is pansexual. Rafael has made out with everyone in the room, minus me. Griffin has done questionable things in questionable places. Conrad is non-binary and doesn't give a shit about anything. Callum has a dick piercing, which he offered to show me, but I declined. They learn that testosterone can give someone an uncontrollable sex drive, which gets some cheers. I end up staying over, because we finish partying at like three in the morning. Miguel lets me sleep in his bed, while he sleeps on the couch, despite the fact he has a double bed. Something about alcohol in our systems. If I wasn't already in deep with these feelings, the smell of Miguel surrounding me is enough to throw me in the deep end.

I end up staying more than a few days. Neither Miguel nor his friends seem to care. They make me feel welcome. More than a few times we've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking about literally  _nothing_. Like the literal merits of coffee versus energy drinks, because, unlike me, Miguel actually drinks energy drinks.

"Are you  _sure_  it's fine?" I ask him as he works on his D-Wheel. He looks absolutely breathtaking when his hair is ruffled and there's motor oil smeared on his face. I haven't bothered to tell him because I enjoy the look.

"Kenta, you can stay here as long as you want." He chuckles. "The guys enjoy having you here." They're living in a duplex, near Nico's doctor office. The lower part has a garage, where Miguel and Conrad. Meanwhile, Callum, Griffin, and Rafael stay where there's a nice balcony. It's handy because we can hang out whenever we want. I'm starting to form friendships with each of them, which is nice. It makes me feel less like an intruder, and that they don't regret my presence.

"I don't want you to keep sleeping on the couch." I sigh. "Your back must be killing you."

"What if you stayed…?" I nod, letting him continue. "And I stayed in the bed  _with_ you?"

"Did you just…" I stare at him, but he just hides behind his D-Wheel.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"How you feel about that?" He peeks. I barely see his baby blue eyes behind the mass of red hair. "Cause I can just sleep on the couch, it's fine-"

"I didn't say I had a problem with that."

"You didn't say that you don't."

"Well, maybe I don't." All of Miguel's head pokes out from behind his D-Wheel.

"Really now?"

"Yes," I answer. "I must admit, that was a pretty smooth way of asking someone out."

"Thank you," he chuckles. "I pride myself on being suave."

"So,  _that's_  why you subtly put your arm on the back of my chair whenever we sit near each other?"

"Yes, I'm glad you got the message." We start laughing. Then, it suddenly gets awkward. Miguel just became my boyfriend. Should I hug him? Kiss him? Say nothing? "Will we hug it out?" He asks.

"Yeah, sounds good."

* * *

The next few weeks are  _eventful_ , to say the least. Miguel's team lose the second match, barely. Then, immediately after the match, a hoard of robot D-Wheelers descend on the City, fucking up everything. The preliminaries are cut short, only the top team in each bracket proceeds to the final, instead of the top two. As another in his bracket won two matches, they proceed instead Team Phantom. Not only that, after the WRGP Final, which Team 5D's win, some kind of spiral made of concrete literally breaks the sky and begins to fall on the City and fuck up Momentum, making evacuation a nightmare. Then, it's magically solved by Yusei Fudo defeating someone guy called Z-One who claims he's the future version of Yusei and that Synchros destroy the world. Although, the Ark Cradle, as it was called, vanishes, it leaves a sense of unease in the City. We try to go back to our lives, it takes a while. But, then, something happens. I get suddenly get added to a group chat with all of Yuuka's friends.

**Crow:**   _Hey everyone, Yuuka's gone missing. She ran out of our place a few hours ago. If everyone could look for her, that would be much appreciated.  
_  
 **Kaoru:** _I think something happened to her, please help if you can._

I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. My mind goes back to The Cardinal Dragons, where its leader publicly aired Yuuka's dirty laundry, including the fact she tried to kill herself after returning from the Satellite mysteriously. Everyone must be thinking the same thing. Miguel, who also got added to the group chat, tags along with me as we try to find her. My brain immediately goes straight to any bridges. If I was suicidal, not to say that I haven't been in the past, I would probably throw myself off a bridge. I realise when we're a reasonable walking distance away from the apartment, that we completely neglected the fact that Miguel has a D-Wheel, that we could be riding right now, but we're not, we're just walking around. Normally, I'd consider myself quite practical. Apparently, that goes out the window when I care about people.

**Kaoru:**   _Yuuka's okay, she's on her way back to Poppo Time._

Poppo Time isn't too far from where we are right now. Miguel moves to start going back home, but I tug on his sleeve. "I want to go," I whisper. "I need to make sure she's okay." Miguel merely nods and we walk to Poppo Time in silence. When we arrive, it's just Yusei, Jack, Crow, and Izayoi. They don't seem surprised that I'm here.

"Good to see you're doing better," Izayoi says quietly as we wait for Yuuka to arrive. She glances at Miguel. She must have been here when Yuuka left to come comfort me.

"Thanks," I mutter.

Kaoru arrives next, without Yuuka.

"Hold on, I thought you found Yuuka?" Crow asks as soon as Kaoru closes the door.

"No, I just know she's coming." He sighs. We dissolve back into silence. It's awkward. I don't think people trust Kaoru still. Though, I have heard that he and Yuuka have make amends. Did he try to do that with me? Not at all.

The door opens again, all of our eyes dart to the door. But it's not Yuuka.

"Excuse me," Takumi pops his head in the door. The aura of every single person in the room becomes darker. He walks further inside without being invited in. "Don't look at me like that. Look who I brought." He stretches his arms out.

"Yuuka!" Everyone shouts in unison as she walks inside. Yuuka looks like a mess. She's deathly pale, and the bags under her eyes are so bad that her eyes look bruised. Then, I notice her hair. The last time I saw her in person, her hair was just past her collarbone. Now, it falls past her waist. What exactly happened to her?

"Where were you?" Izayoi runs up to Yuuka and grabs her arm, she flinches at the contact. "What were you doing?"

"Hey, hey, leave her alone for just a minute." Takumi tries to pry Izayoi off Yuuka. Only for Izayoi to glare at him. "She's been through a lot, you're scaring her. She doesn't have to say what she was doing if she doesn't want to, okay?"

"And who do  _you_ think you are?" Izayoi takes her hands off Yuuka, and turns her attention to Takumi. "Do you know what you did to her? You betrayed her  _and_ you made Kaoru do the same."

"Aki, this isn't the time for this." Crow tries to step between them. Izayoi's head whips around, clearly not impressed. "You can yell at him another time." This gets her to stand down. Though, I notice she hunches a little as she crosses her arms.

"Thank you, Takumi." Yusei says, cutting in. There's  _sincerity_ in his voice? But does Yusei think that Takumi saved Yuuka from…? I notice Yuuka look at Yusei, who's standing beside me, and bit her lip. Yusei looks just as bad as Yuuka, right down to the baggy plain white t-shirt and the bags under his eyes. He definitely believes that Takumi did that. Takumi. I'm still angry about that.

"Why is he here though?" I pipe up, and Takumi immediately scowls. "We're here for Yuuka, but somehow Takumi makes it all about himself like always." Yusei's aura changes immediately. Does he know something?

"Who's gonna tell him?" Crow looks between Yuuka and Kaoru. Yuuka's face doesn't even react at all to the situation. It's completely blank. She doesn't even look like she's reacting to this situation at all, or she's even aware it's happening in the first place.

"Not me," Kaoru jumps in immediately.

I look around the room. Everyone else knows what's happening. If anything, Takumi looks smug. Yusei looks awkward. Kaoru looks panicked. Miguel even looks like he's figured it out. I look at Yuuka, who seems a little more alert. She and Kaoru made amends. Why?  _Because…_

"No,  _please_ don't tell me…" I stare at Yuuka. Her face finally reacts. I see her brain coming to life behind her eyes. Her eyebrows raise slowly. What comes out of her mouth yet is the purest form of sarcasm I've ever heard.

"Dude, did you  _not_ know that Kaoru and Takumi were dating the entire time?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I close my eyes and try not to go berserk on Takumi and murder him on the spot. I turn to look at Takumi. So that's why Kaoru betrayed us. So that's why he didn't try to amends with me. Because he stole my boyfriend without me even knowing it. "You  _could_ have waited longer than a month."

"Then, who's that?" Takumi points right at Miguel, who's avoiding everything by staring at the ceiling.

"So, Takumi…" Yuuka puts on a fake laugh. Her face is covered in pure unease. "You know Phantom Riders' Miguel, right? You remember him, don't you?"

"You know?" Takumi asks Yuuka. "Since when?"

"Around the same time that we started…" Kaoru answers for her, unaware that he wasn't the one being asked. So Kaoru knew because of Yuuka, obviously.

"How do  _you_ know?" Takumi squints at Kaoru, visibly pissed off. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't exactly my place to tell you?" Kaoru looks like he wants to vanish, which is relatable. I'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Okay, that's it!" Crow finally snaps and begins to push Takumi out the door. "Get your relationship dramas out of my house. Goodnight everybody! Thanks for helping, but you're no longer needed. Bye!" I sigh, realising that both Takumi and I are both making this situation about us. Miguel and I begin to walk out.

"You have my number, Yuuka. Call me, okay?" My voice sounds more desperate than I intend. I'm spooked by the thought that my friend nearly just killed herself. Kaoru tries to say something, but Crow slams the door, leaving us all outside.

"I can't believe you." I try to say, but it comes out as a shout.

"Like you can say anything." Takumi responds. "You jumped into his arms quick enough."

"The same could be said for you! If you've been after Kaoru, this entire time, the least you could have done was break up with me."

"Kenta, we were in a relationship  _in name only_  by the time we broke up." He sighs. "We both knew it was a train wreck waiting to happen."

"That doesn't mean that it doesn't  _hurt_." I take a deep breath. "How do you think it feels? Knowing that your boyfriend is plotting to take over the world behind your back, convinced one of your few friends to join him, both of you betray everyone, leaving because you I can't deal with it, only to find out that you jumped into his bed as soon as I turn my back. How am I supposed to feel, Takumi?"

There's a long silence. Everyone's eyes are on me. Kaoru and Miguel don't dare butt in.

"If it helps, I've stopped everything. Team Liberation is dead."

"Because  _he_  convinced you? Is that right?" Takumi nods solemnly. "Of course. I was never good enough for you. I tried for months to convince you it was a bad idea, I  _warned_  you. But as soon as I leave, Mr. Perfect is able to convince you? Takumi, did you ever actually  _love_ me?"

"Of course I did, Kenta."

There's silence again. I can't form actual words. I look at Takumi, and I don't know if he's telling the truth. I want to believe him, but I can't bring myself to do it. I take a deep breath, my powers quaking from the emotions. I just shake my head and walk away. Takumi just lets me go.

It doesn't take Miguel long to catch up to me, curse him and his long legs. He stands in front of me, making me stop walking. My head falls forward onto his chest. He pulls me close as sobs start to rake my body. I can feel my tears starting to soak his shirt.

"I love you," he mutters for the first time. A sad smile appears on my face through the tears. I can't physically say the words back to him, so I just nod my head.

* * *

Things are quiet after the Ark Cradle. I think the City is learning how to cope with how we all almost died, and that the only thing that stopped us from certain death was Yusei Fudo. At least, that's what we thought. Yusei was going to awarded the Key to the City, but then during his acceptance speech, he says that Yuuka was the one who saved the City. They both accept the award, and two things are done. An anti-discriminatory bill for both psychics and Satellites, and then an education system for former Satellite residents.

_This_. This is what makes Takumi have a conversation with me. Not an argument, but a conversation.

"I told you she was special." He hums. We've decided to meet up for coffee, a sign of peace. "You didn't believe me then."

"Not then," I agree. "Now, I think she is. She's someone you have to warm up to."

"It's incredible what she's done. An anti-discriminatory bill for psychics  _and_  Satellites. I bet Miguel is happy with that." Considering he's marked, he doesn't say.

"Yeah, it will make his life easier. Finally, he might not get asked to leave shops for being marked."

"I have a question," he takes a sip. "Is Miguel going to use that Satellite education scheme? He could get into college next year with that. Apparently, the trial run is starting at the end of the summer. Did you hear that Yuuka's getting Yusei into the Applied Physics programme? Sneaky bitch. I heard she's the one who came up with the idea. She pitched the idea to Emiko's dad who's a Senator long before this ever happened."

"Hard to believe that Yuuka has ever had a good idea." We both burst out laughing at that. "No, Miguel's gonna go work in Reika Hoshakuji's garage as a mechanic. They asked him the other day."

"What are you doing with yourself? Now that everything's over."

"Well," I sigh. "I've just been working in the convenience store down the road. I'm just enjoying the peace." Takumi has this look on his face, and I recognise it. It's his idea face.

"Now," he begins. "The money left over from-  _everything_ , it's not just my money. It's ours. I got to keep the apartment, so I feel like I need to give you something."

"Takumi-" He shushes me.

"I'll give half the money," he continues. "After-"

"After what?"

"Lemme finish?" He looks jokingly offended, and I have to stop myself from chuckling. "Now, Kaoru was the one who suggested this." I make a face. "Yes, Kaoru has ideas too. But." He holds up his hand. "Kaoru wants me to use a portion of the money to send you to school. He thinks you're too smart not to go to college. Now, I don't think because you're smart, you need to go to college, just do whatever makes you happy. Because you deserve to be happy, Kenta. I'm sorry for what happened, and I want to make it up to you. What do you think? We need some of that money had saved up to send you to Neo Domino City University for Computer Science, since I know that's what you'd choose. If you wanna get in, the deadline closes this Friday. I'll help you get in, if you need it."

I'm in shock. My brain can barely process it. Takumi knows I have wanted to do that. We've just always agreed it was too much to run a gang and try to get through college at the same time. And here is the opportunity, right in front of me.

"There's no catches, right?" I ask nervously.

"Kenta, do you honestly think there would be a catch?" I stare at him until he gets the point. "Okay, that's just rude. There is no catch, c'mon."

"Alright then," I chuckle.

* * *

The application process goes smoothly with the help of Kaoru and Takumi. In a few weeks, the letter arrives saying that I've been accepted. The first thing I do is call them. Then kiss Miguel, who is right beside me. He's always at my side, so it's a given. Miguel is in work for my first day of college. He tries to take the morning off, but Kaoru insists on taking me. His police boot camp starts next week.

"Right, here we are." He says as we cruise to a stop in the parking lot, a building not too far from us. "I think this is the Otogi building?"

"Looks like it." I stare at the building where my first class will be.

"Well, good luck." Kaoru says as I disembark. I give him his spare helmet back. He stands up and puts in the compartment under the seat. "I hope this makes up for… everything."

"It does, Kaoru. Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault." I shake my head. "Let's put it this way, we're both better off without each other. You got Takumi to stop, and that says a lot. You're my friend, and I don't want that to ruin it. Thank you for driving me." I fix my messenger bag. I had to put the bag at my back for the ride.

"You're right." He sighs. "Well, good luck." He puts his hand out for a fist bump, but I just hug him instead. I would describe it as awkward, but Kaoru does return the hug. "Have fun. Math as your first lecture? Can't imagine that's fun when you're here for Computer Science."

"I'll survive," I chuckle. "Got Web Design after this. That doesn't sound as boring."

"Tell me how it goes." He says as he gets back on his D-Wheel. He glances at a light blue D-Wheel, which I know for a fact belongs to Yuuka, at the other side of the parking lot. "What is Yuuka doing here?" Then, he turns back to me. "Never mind that. Have fun, and I'll see you later!"

"Bye Kaoru!" I wave as he drives out of the parking lot, followed by Yuuka's D-Wheel. I sigh, and begin my trek to find my lecture hall. Luckily, I'm able to follow a hoard of people that are also heading to the room. Although I'm a few minutes early, the lecture hall is jam packed. The information about the class said that I'm sharing this class with many courses, and not just my own.

I manage to find a seat down towards the front. I stare to unpack everything. My pen, my paper, my laptop just in case.

"Kenta?" A voice right beside me says. I turn to see who it is. Then, I realise that I'm sitting right next to Yusei Fudo of all people. "You're taking this class too?"

"I don't know? Am I in the wrong class?" I stroll through my phone. I'm taking this class with Applied Physics students. "Apparently, we have this together. Who would have known?"

"Yuuka," he chuckles. "That's why she couldn't take you to class today." She asked when my first class was, because she wanted to take me, but then said she was busy at that time.

"Yeah, that makes sense." I nod. "It's almost like she's psychic or something." That gets a laugh out of both of us.

The lecturer walks onto the podium. The room, filled with chatter, goes dead silent. The lecturer makes a joke about it, and then proceeds to tell a horrid math joke. Something about logicians walking into a bar.

Starting university feels a little less terrifying knowing that I have, not just Yusei, but everyone. I think of the times when I felt lonely in the world. When I joined a gang, just to keep myself off the streets. I feel grateful for what I've gone through, just because it got me where I am. Being surrounded by people who accept me just makes the world seem a little less daunting, a lot easier to live in, and more full of love.


	9. In The Name of Love I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Kaoru Sasaki  
> Summary: A journey of self-acceptance isn't always the easiest. What makes it easier is a chaotic mess of a sister, a handful of friends, and a guy who shouldn't be that attractive, but he is.

_Kaoru_

* * *

Honestly, it feels like karma has punched me in the face. Once Yuuka became a psychic, I was filled with such hate and fear. It only makes sense that I become one too. Because karma decided that my life wasn't already hard enough. I last three months. Three long months of hiding. Pretending I'm sick whenever there's a practical duel element in class. Skipping days of school. I can't do it anymore. People are starting to get suspicious. Well, everyone except my best friend, Emiko Higashiyama. She witnessed the first time my powers appeared. They appeared randomly one day, and I'm just lucky that I was dueling the AI and not her. Emiko says that I can't hide anymore, that I need to learn how to control my powers, that I need to tell someone else. That's when I begin to panic. I couldn't  _possibly_  tell my mom, considering how she reacted when Yuuka's powers activated and broke my arm before running away.

"Let's find Yuuka," she says one day when it's just us in the empty duel hall.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" I sigh. "The last time I saw her was at the Fortune Cup, and before that was over two years ago when she broke my arm."

"Well," Emiko begins to root in her backpack. Never a good sign. "I actually talked to her at the Fortune Cup, unlike  _someone_. She told me she works as a seamstress." She takes out a binder and begins to flick through it. "It took a bunch of phone calls, but I think I got this. Yuuka isn't in the phonebook, it was worth a shot. No one called Yuuka Hattori, Sasaki, whatever, works at any small seamstress businesses. But, I have a list of small boutiques in the City that make their own clothes." She takes out a sheet of paper. It's double-sided, and it's filled with shops and their address. The list literally spans the entire City.

"How did you do this?" I mutter.

"Some Google searches, geez, get with the times." She tuts. "Besides, I think it's important for you to find Yuuka. You know why?" I shake my head. "Your powers appeared only a few days after the Fortune Cup, when you saw Yuuka. I don't know about you, but that's pretty suspicious. I think you have unresolved issues that you need to work through."

"Don't start with this again," I sigh.

"But I was thinking that we take Saturday and just try to find Yuuka. She has to be somewhere Kaoru."

"Fine," I nod. "What did I do to deserve you?" Emiko just gets flustered and smacks my arm.

We manage to go through every single shop on that list. As we stand outside out of the last one, I just feel defeated.

"Don't be like that, Kaoru." Emiko says, somehow still full of energy. "If she's not here, we'll try more places next week. I'll see if I can hunt down some textile factories."

"You go in first," I sigh. "I just need a second." Emiko nods and heads inside. I glance around me. Something about this place feels  _off_. I glance to the corner. A tall dark-skinned guy is leaning on the wall at the edge of the building, looking at his phone. Wait, isn't that the guy Yuuka was with at the Fortune Cup? Could this be the right place? I follow Emiko inside. As soon as I open the door, a little bell rings. The owner of the shop greets me and I vaguely nod back to her.

"Do you see her?" I whisper to Emiko. "Did you ask her?"

"Back right corner, behind the fabric."

My eyes scan the room before falling on the back right corner. There she is. In that instant the shop floor becomes unbearingly cold. Yuuka grabs a duel disk, and heads for the back of the shop. She tells the owner that she's leaving for the day.

"Yuuka," I manage to get out before she leaves through the back door.

"What are you doing here?" Despite the terrified look in her eyes, her voice is cold as stone. She doesn't even turn fully around to look at me, instead just looking over her shoulder.

"I came here to find you." Yuuka finally turns around, but she's scowling at me.

"You want me to go home, isn't that right?" She walks right past me, heading for the front door. "I'm not going back, Kaoru."

"No! Yuuka, that's-"

"What else would you be after?" She interrupts me. "It's not safe for you to have me in your life, okay?" She bolts out the door, duel disk at her chest. Does she think I still hold a grudge against her? Maybe I did back then, but now, I guess things have been put into perspective.

"Go after her!" Emiko yells at me. I don't answer her, but do what she says.

"Yuuka!" I call out to her. She turns back to look at me, she's frozen. She's gripping onto the guy that was waiting outside. "You need to listen to me!"

"I can't!" She shouts back at me. Her head whips around, looking behind her. I think she's going to run. "Don't you understand? I can't go back there, Kaoru."

"Duel me," I hold up the duel disk that I've had on me all day. I hear Emiko gasp behind me. I don't know why I brought it. I haven't touched a real disk since the day I first got my powers. I felt like I needed it, and maybe this is why.

"But Kaoru…" Her eyes go between the disk and my face.

"I know what you're thinking, but please listen." I take a deep breath. "If you win, I'll leave you alone. If I win, you won't run away and you have to listen to what I have to say."

"Fine, but it's not my fault if you get hurt." She doesn't look at me as she puts her duel disk on. I see her taking deep breaths. "Are you ready?" She asks.

"Duel!" We shout out.

"I'll let you go first, since you're the challenger." Yuuka says, though it doesn't look like she's losing out.

On my second turn, I'm able to attack her monster. I shouldn't hurt her if I just attack her monster, and not her. The attack lands. Yuuka's hair visibly whips around as she shields her face. She seems unharmed. She stares at me wide-eyed.

"You're a psychic?"

There it is, out in the open. I haven't even said those words out loud. Yuuka looks to her friend who's been watching the duel. I look to Emiko, who just nods at me. Truly helpful.

"Yes," I exhale a shaky breath. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I want your help. You can control your powers now and I need your help."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, dumbass? I would have listened to you!" She starts shouting at me. "Just continue the duel. Don't worry, I can handle your powers."

"Are you sure?" I mutter. All I can think about is the charred duel bot in the empty arena. What if I hurt her? What if I break  _her_ arm? What if she's a charred mess on the ground?

"Yeah, I'm used to dueling people with powers at this stage."

"Okay," I reply. Is this guy she hangs out with a psychic too? She said it like it's a hobby. Why does she duel psychics? That doesn't seem like a very good idea to me. Then I remember my current situation.

The duel continues. Yuuka attacks me directly, but I feel nothing. The monster didn't even become real. She doesn't even seem surprised. I can't even imagine that. But still, I feel something coming from Yuuka, something I don't like. The very air around her seems  _tainted_. "What's wrong with you?" I ask. "You seem different."

"It's been two and a half years. Time changes people."

"No," I reply, "that's not it. There's a darkness around you." I finally put it into words. She stays silent. If anything, the cloud of gloom around her only grows. She continues the duel without saying a word. I summon Judgement Dragon, and attack her directly. I think I can do it without hurting her. I feel calmer than I did the first time I attacked her. Yeah, I should stop getting my hopes up. The attack sends her flying onto her back with a thud. I hear gasps from everyone watching the match.

Yuuka pushes herself up using her elbows. She looks over to her friend, only to freeze. I look over too. Why is Yusei Fudo, the new King of Riding Duels here of all places? I know he was talking to Yuuka at the Fortune Cup before she ran away, but still. Yuuka looks like she wasn't expecting him to be there either. She gets back on her feet, gives me a thumbs up, and continues the duel.

The next time I attack her, she's knocked onto her back again. I've won at least. I start to walk towards her, deactivating my duel disk. She starts leaning on her elbows again. I hold out my hand for her to help herself up.

_Maybe if I just calmly walk away, I won't have to deal with Yusei or Kaoru._

"Don't get smart with me. Even if you walk away, that's still breaking our deal." I respond. She can't do this to me. I need her right now. If she doesn't help me, who knows what will happen? My mom will probably kick me out over the shame of having  _two_  psychic kids. Everyone in school will find out. I'll be like Izayoi, and be forced to drop out. I need Yuuka, as much as she doesn't want to help me.

Yuuka stares at my hand, still stretched out for her.

"I didn't say that out loud?"

The courtyard goes completely silent. All I can hear in Yuuka's thoughts bouncing around in my head. I feel the darkness that seems to hover around her seeping into me. I see bright purple lights and bloodied hands. I hear a bird screech and someone shouting. A shiver runs down my spine. Yuuka finally grabs my hand and stands up.

"What's going on?" Yuuka's friend asks as he approaches us.

"We can hear each other's thoughts." The words struggle to get out of her mouth, as if my thoughts in her head makes speaking unbearable.

"What?" He exclaims. "But that's impossible! We've met proper telepaths that couldn't read your thoughts."

"I know that."

"Telepaths?" Emiko pipes in, looking between Yuuka and her friend. "But I thought psychics just materialised duel monsters."

"Most psychics." Yuuka corrects her. "Some psychics have powers beyond that. Some can read auras, some heal quicker, others can talk to spirits and very few are telepaths." There's silence. Everyone is staring at Yuuka, since she is the reason that all of us are standing in an empty courtyard after dark on a cold December evening. "What do you want to talk about?" Yuuka turns back to me, seemingly unaware of everything.

"Well-"

"Actually, you should sit down." She cuts me off and points at the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, thankfully untouched by the duel. "Using your powers like that tires you out, I don't want you fainting on me." We walk over. Everyone else hangs back and starts talking. I hear Yuuka's friend apologising to Yusei, something about this not being planned. Am I interrupting something? My eyes close as I sit down. I see a bloodied, broken Yusei on the ground. My entire body tenses up. What is with Yuuka's thoughts?

"What's the deal between you and Yusei?" I keep my eyes on her face, despite it being dimly light by street lights since she's standing between me and a light.

"It's complicated." Her face is completely neutral. But I can hear her thoughts. They portray a completely different image. Her thoughts are chaotic.

"I have all the time in the world." I squint at her. "You like him, don't you?"

"Shut up!" She yells at me, getting the attention of everyone else who looks away quickly. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I need your help." I notice Yuuka staring at me. She's thinking about how we look alike, and she's not wrong.

"To control your powers?" She asks.

"Yes. I can't control them and when you go to Duel Academy, that's not a good thing. Wait, aren't you going to sit down?"

"Nah, don't need to. Been in this game too long for that." She scoffs. She paces very fast backwards and forwards, getting the attention of everyone else again. She stops when she hears the talking about her, something about leaving her until she calms down. I keep hearing a name repeat in her thoughts,  _Raiden_.

"Who's Raiden?" I ask.

"Can you please stop listening to my every thought? I'm blocking yours out."

"Wait, how are you able to do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just focusing on my own thoughts." I thought I've been trying that, but then grotesque images enter my head that I don't want to see.

"Huh," I ponder. Maybe it'll get better as I learn to control my powers. "But seriously, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Not exactly." She answers. Her thoughts go completely silent, I think she's blocking me out.

"Then, is that guy over there your boyfriend?"

"Shinji is  _not_ my boyfriend." She sighs. "What's your obsession with me having a boyfriend?"

"I'm your brother, it's my responsibility to protect you from guys."

"Oh, you think you have to  _protect_ me?" Yuuka's eyebrows raise so far up that they're ready to fly off her head, but that doesn't scare me.

"It's my job as your big brother." She sighs again.

"Fine," she rolls her eyes, "but training to control your powers is a lot of work, are you sure that you're up for it?"

"Yes, I need to control them." I hear Yuuka's thoughts practically bouncing off my head. Then, I hear it.  _Black Flag_.

"Black Flag?" I echo. "You mean the biggest duel gang in the City? How are you involved with them?"

"Well-" Yuuka looks very panicked.

"You see, here's the thing." Shinji approaches and interjects very quickly. "You're looking at the leader of one of the biggest duel gangs in the City." He smirks as if he's  _proud_  of that.

"I'm not the leader, so to say, it's more of a figurehead position."

"Yuuka, is that true?" Emiko speaks up.

"Yeah, but that's not important."

"Yeah right!" I feel myself getting hotter. "Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you got yourself hurt?"

"I know what the job entails." She says with pure malice. "Didn't I tell you that it's dangerous to be around me? Now, you know why." Her eyes move to the side and meet Yusei's, who hasn't said a single word. She crosses her arms in an instant. I remember she does that when she's nervous, which is a lot. Her thoughts start racing. They're filled with Yusei. I see more blood and Yusei lying motionless. I know what I'm seeing can't be true, since he's standing in front of me looking relatively unscathed. I don't know what happened, but I do know one thing.

You should probably talk to Yusei. I try to break through that mental barrier and put a thought right in her mind. Considering she begins to stare at me wide-eyed, I think I did a good job.

 _How did you manage to do that?_  I hear her think.

I don't know to be honest, I answer. But from what I've heard in your thoughts, you need to sort things out with him. I'll distract the other two if you want.

 _Wait, now? No, I don't think I can deal with that right now._  Her eyes start to flicker backwards and forwards.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go get food or something?" I turn my attention to Shinji and Emiko. "It would be better than standing out here." I try to sound as nonchalant as possible. Granted they, like me, would be grateful to get out of the cold. Then I notice that Yuuka is only in a skimpy-looking dress and a waistcoat. How is she not shivering and getting hypothermia? She once said that growing up in the Satellite made her immune to the cold, but surely there's a limit to that? I turn to Yuuka and slightly raise my eyebrows.

"Nah," she says. "I'm going to head home." She starts to make eye gestures at Yusei.

"I'll walk you home." He cuts in almost immediately, clearly getting the message. I notice Shinji smirking at Yuuka before trying to pass it off as a cough. So he thinks something is going on between them? Wait, did I just enable something to happen? Yuuka hears my thoughts and takes a break from glaring at Shinji to glare at me for a split second.

"Right, I'll talk to you all later." Yuuka immediately turns and power walks away from us, Yusei following close behind.

"Well," Shinji claps and rubs his hands together. "I think that went well."

"You think so?" I ask.

"It's Yuuka, she's been a bit of a loose cannon lately. She's talked more to you just there than me in three months, and I'm her best friend!"

"What happened?" Emiko gasps.

"Who knows?" Shinji shrugs his shoulders. "She came back from the Satellite three months ago and hasn't been the same since."

"The same time my powers appeared?" I hum. "How soon after the Fortune Cup?"

"Only a few days after."

"Strange," I shake my head. I think it's too much of a stretch to assume that's connected. Emiko looks at me like she's thinking the same thing. I just shake my head at her.

"So, do you guys wanna go to a little ramen place nearby?" Shinji quickly changes the topic of the conversation. "It's Yuuka's favourite."

"I don't have any better ideas." Emiko nods her head. I agree with them and we head off.

It's a cosy little place, closer to the Daimon Area than I expected. Shinji tells me that Yuuka's living in a tiny apartment not too far from here. I tell him that I've never been to the Daimon Area before.

"I know," he chuckles. "I can tell that by looking at you two."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"Yuuka told me that you two are from the right side of the tracks. Born with a silver spoon up their a-"

"I get the idea." I sigh, looking at their tiny menu. "Wait, why is this place so cheap?" I whisper.

"Yeah, I feel like I'd be stealing from them at this price." Emiko whispers, putting the menu in front of her face, hiding herself from the staff.

"Well, I think you two need to know something about Yuuka." Shinji sighs. "She's not exactly well off. She has a tiny apartment and can barely afford to feed herself half the time."

"But you said she's the leader of the gang, how does she not have money?" Emiko furrows her eyebrows at Shinji.

"Well, she needs to keep a roof over her head, doesn't she? To tell you the truth, Yuuka doesn't see a penny from the gang. The only money she gets is from the stupid seamstress job, and she only gets half of what the minimum wage is supposed to be. All because she's marked and no one will hire her. She only got that job because my aunt runs the shop. I've started buying her vitamin supplements because she's not eating properly. It sucks, but that's Neo Domino for you."

"That can't be right though," I reply. "This City is supposed to be fair-"

"But it's not." Shinji cuts me off. "And the quicker you learn that as a psychic, the better."

"I guess you're right." I mutter. I think about the time before Yuuka ran away. I remember seeing how she suffered, but how she fought back. She never saw the City as fair, and now, I think I'm finally starting to understand why.

"Onto light subjects," Shinji sighs seeing the look on my face. "How did that duel go for you?"

"I think it went pretty well, considering the last time I made a monster real, I set a duel bot on fire."

"That's an accomplishment," Shinji smiles. "Not setting your sister on fire is a great start."

"Thanks," I say as I roll my eyes. Emiko's laughing beside me. "But I need Yuuka to teach me how to control my powers. I need to be like she is. I felt nothing as she attacked me. You wouldn't even think she's a psychic."

"Gimme your phone," Shinji puts his hand out. "Now, you should text Yuuka about meeting up. She'll tell you everything she knows. You picked a good psychic to talk to. In all the time that I've known her, she's never had an  _accident_  if you know what I mean."

"Thank you-"

"It's no problem." He shakes his head. "You're a good kid, I can tell that."

* * *

I meet up with Yuuka the next day in the park. A misjudgement by me because I wasn't expecting it to be so cold. Yuuka's wearing the same dress as the day before, and she looks like it's summer. Meanwhile, I'm in a giant jacket freezing my ass off.

Yuuka tries her best to teach me. She tries. She's not the best teacher. She's always had a hard time explaining things. She tells me about meditating and auras. She's also leaving Black Flag, and by the sound of her thoughts, she wants me to help. Me hearing her thoughts makes it hard to meditate. I think that's affecting both of us. I'm constantly afraid of hearing something I don't want to hear, and I know she is too.

Yuuka invites me back for dinner. Shinji is there, but from the sound of it, Shinji is always there. At least I learn that Shinji has a girlfriend, that makes me feel better. I meet another of Yuuka's friends, Anako, who mysteriously just popped up after eighteen months of no one knowing where she was, and today of all days. Yuuka looks very stressed, and her thoughts back it up. Then, Anako suddenly becomes my new teacher. Yuuka doesn't seem too bothered, she knows she's not cut out for teaching.

**Emiko:** _How did it go? You haven't texted me :(_

**Kaoru:** _Oh yeah, Yuuka isn't a great teacher so her friend Anako is doing it instead. I'm training with her tomorrow_

**Emiko:**   _Anako? Who is that?_

**Kaoru:** _That's a long story, I'll explain in person_

**Emiko:**   _Oh. Okay._

Training with Anako is nice. She explains things a lot clearer than Yuuka. I'm able to properly meditate. It's strange hearing my mind so clear for once. I've noticed that Yuuka's thoughts are louder the closer that I am to her. Training away from her is probably the best idea.

"Is your sister going out with anyone?" Anako randomly asks out of the blue after our training is over. "No one seems to know the answer. I figure you'd know, cause telepathy."

"Don't think so." I scratch the back of my neck. She's not dating Shinji, or Yusei. I asked Shinji about that and he said no. "There's the thing going on with Raiden, but I don't think it's official."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Her face is completely neutral.

"You're not mad about that?" I raise an eyebrow at her. "I thought you were going out with him before…"

"Wasn't official either," she answers. "I just think there are better people out there for your sister than him. You haven't met him yet, right? He's an absolute asshole, I don't recommend meeting him."

"Like who?" I ask. Who would be better for Yuuka? "Cause if someone asks about someone else's relationship status, that means they're interested in them." Her neutral disposition fades into nervousness. "Apparently."

"Well-"

"You like my sister, don't you?" I cut her off. I think I see what's going on her. Why else would her first stop in the City again be Yuuka's apartment? I don't think Yuuka realises that, but I don't think she realises a lot of things.

"Well, Kaoru," she sighs. "I'm not going to lie to you." She goes completely silent. I get the hint.

"I'll take that as a yes." I notice her cheeks becoming noticeably more red. "I mean, out of everyone that could potentially date my sister, you're probably the best."

"Me?" Her hands fly to her reddened cheeks.

"Yeah," I shrug my shoulders. "You seem genuinely nice and caring, that's always good in a person." I can't make myself look at her. I can't help but keep thinking about her. She's spending her free time with  _me_ , a literal stranger, just to help me. The concept seems so foreign to me. "I-I should get going." I feel myself becoming more embarrassed. I can't help but notice how cute she looks when flustered.

"You're right, you probably have homework to catch up on." I nod along to her words. "At least Christmas break is coming up soon." I leave without much of a goodbye, because I can't form the words.

 **Emiko:**   _I thought I told you to text me updates!_

**Emiko:** _How are you not done yet? How's it going?_

**Kaoru:** _Done now, it was nice. I feel better after it_

**Emiko:** _Can I come over? And you can tell me about it!_

**Kaoru:** _No tonight, need to catch up on homework_

**Emiko:** _Yeah, you've been busy the past two days_

**Emiko:** _I'll see you tomorrow I guess_

* * *

I was right, Yuuka did need my help leaving Black Flag. She brings Shinji and I to their base, an abandoned warehouse by the docks. It's cold, the air forms a fog from my mouth. She tells me to wait outside the door while her and Shinji go into Raiden's office. _He's a psychic, we don't take bad news too well_ , those are the exact words Yuuka told me earlier. They certainly don't calm the anxiety in my stomach. Shinji is back outside the door within a few moments. I can hear pretty much everything through the thin wall. " _He wouldn't love you the way I do."_ I feel my body squirm as he says those words. Yuuka is disgusted too, I can feel it. I can sense him kissing her. Shinji is watching my face react with such curiosity. I don't speak because I know they'd hear me. " _Fine, you wanna leave so bad?"_  That's when everything goes horrifically wrong.

I hear the sound of something slamming against a wall, and by the sounds of it, it's not Yuuka so that's a positive. " _You win, you leave. If I win, you stay, you can't leave._ " I hear them start the duel. Shinji looks at me with panicked eyes. Raiden is a psychic, what if he… Oh gods. Suddenly, there's a loud blunt sound of something hitting the wall again. This time, it was something bigger and stronger.

 _Why was I not able to control my powers? This shouldn't be happening._  I hear Yuuka's thoughts barraging against my head. Then, I feel it. I feel that familiar static sensation in my hands. Is this what's happening to her? I literally give Shinji an electric shock when he reaches out to touch my arm.

 _Kaoru,_  I hear Yuuka's voice.  _You need to get out. I've lost control of my powers, so Raiden is using his against me. That wall could come down if he attacks me. Please go. I don't want you or Shinji to get hurt._

I sigh, getting the attention of Shinji. I pull on his arm, heading towards the stairs. He gets the idea and follows me. He takes the lead, and brings us to a little side street. We can see parts of the duel from the windows. The building looks like it's under a lot of strain. We hear the sound of rumbling concrete, but the building is still standing. Giant cracks are starting to fall, and holes in the concrete are growing bigger and bigger.

"I have to do something," I say to Shinji.

"No," he puts a hand on my arm. "There's nothing you can do. We can only hope that she gets out of it okay."

I get an unsettling feeling in my stomach. She's bleeding heavily, I can feel it. Another attack goes through. Then, the rumbling of falling concrete becomes louder. The base starts to collapse. Shinji holds me back as I try to run. Large chunks fall obstructing the street around the base. I have to run. I try to reach out to Yuuka mentally, but nothing. Shinji tries to hold me back a second time but I move too fast. I climb over a giant slab of concrete to get to the door. The building has basically finished collapsing, it's nothing more than a pile of rubble now.

"Yuuka!" I scream. I see her peeking out from the doorway. She doesn't react to me, and there's a pool of blood around her. I try to pull her out of the rubble, luckily I'm able to slide her straight out.

All I can think about is getting her to a hospital. The smell of blood is so thick that it almost makes me gag. At least she still has a pulse, I tell myself, even though it's very weak.

That's when Shinji reaches me, he helps me get her completely out of the rubble. Blood is starting to smear all over our clothes. I'm trying not to freak out, while Shinji looks completely calm. I start to call an ambulance. Once Shinji realises what I'm doing, he tries to take the phone out of my hand. "What are you doing?" I scream at him once I hang up. "She needs to go to the hospital." The entire front portion of her dress is torn. Not that you can see anything because her entire front is drenched in blood.

"How are you going to explain this to the hospital?" He screams back, losing his composure. "Psychic duel in an abandoned warehouse that collapsed? That doesn't sound sketchy at all."

"What else do you want me to do?"

"There's a psychic doctor that we go to. That's where I've always taken her."

"Well the ambulance is on it's way, so we're just going to have to deal with that."

We don't speak again until the ambulance comes. We try to elevate Yuuka's head and chest in an effort to slow the bleeding on her chest. The ambulance crew ask what happened to her. We just tell them that she was in a duel and the building collapsed, and that the other person was nowhere to be found. They send out another crew to look for Raiden.

As soon as we get to the hospital, Yuuka is brought immediately for surgery. Shinji immediately makes a call, and he calls Yusei of all people. He's on his way, Shinji tells me. We sit in the hallway, deadly silent, waiting for someone to come out.

"Good job today," Shinji says quietly.

"You too," I mutter.

"Now that I think about it, she probably would have died if we tried to bring her to the psychic doctor." He sighs. "You know, from the way that the ambulance crew were talking about it."

"Yeah, it was all I could think about in that moment."

"You seemed pretty calm despite everything that was going on."

"Well, it definitely didn't feel like it." I give a half-hearted chuckle.

"No, don't say that, you did good." There's a beat of silence. "I bet I know what you're saying to yourself."

"What?"

"You wish there was something you could have done to protect her."

"Lemme guess, you feel that way too?"

"Of course I do." He sighs. "I wasn't going to leave Black Flag until Yuuka went with me. I couldn't leave her alone in case something happened. I already regret not going to the Satellite with her that one time."

"Yeah-"

"Once Yuuka has a thought in her head, there's no stopping her. She hates people trying to protect her." Shinji looks me straight in the eye. "The only way to protect her is to say that you have her back, you hear me? Who knows what mad idea she'll come up with next?" There's a pause. "I know this guy. His sister's trans and psychic. He joined a gang to keep her out of this life. Got the money to pay for her transition and everything. That's pretty brave."

Shinji's trying to tell me something. I just don't know what. I go to respond, but the arrival of Yusei interrupts me.

"Is Yuuka still in surgery?" I hear him ask.

"Yep," Shinji answers with a pop. I turn to look at Yusei, and I'm surprised that he's brought two people with him. Former Duel King Jack Atlas and some small ginger guy, who I'm guessing is her old friend Crow.

"So you're the brother? Kaoru, wasn't it?" Crow asks, studying my face intently. I nod.

"I told you there was a strong resemblance." Yusei cuts in.

"I get that a lot." I met Jack Atlas's eyes, he just scowls at me. I remember once that Yuuka told me that Jack was the closest thing she had to a brother, before me. He must feel a sense of loss, knowing that Yuuka has a biological brother now. Not that Yuuka has ever cared about who she's biologically related to.

The five of us sit silently on the bench. There's occasional questions about what happened, but Shinji keeps the answers vague. All of us stand up when we hear the beep of the surgery light go off.

"Miss Sasaki is in a stable condition." A nurse responds when Shinji asks about her. "She's being moved to the Intensive Care Unit for the time being. She will have no visitors until further notice."

"You kidding me?" Crow tuts.

"Let's just go home." Jack says, already turning to leave.

"I'll stay here for a bit." Yusei says, sitting back down again. "Just so someone is here."

"Take care, man." Shinji pats him on the shoulder. "Don't stay here all night. She'll be fine. C'mon Kaoru." I sigh, say nothing, and follow Shinji out.

* * *

 _She'll be fine_ , he said. It's been a week and she still hasn't woken up. Yusei and I made the unspoken rule that he takes the first few hours of the visiting hours and I take the last few. Then, that lets other people visit during the day. Shinji, Reika, Emiko, Anako, Jack, and Crow are the people that I definitely know visit. Flowers appear on the sixth day, but no one claims to have left them. I thought some mysterious suitor, meaning Yusei or Anako, left them, but apparently not.

I decide to pass time by reading the newspaper. The last week has left me so knowledgeable about current events. I'm reading an article about crimes against marked people when I hear movement. I look up from my newspaper to see Yuuka sitting up, ripping the IVs from her arm and taking her oxygen mask off.

"Yuuka, put that mask back on! You don't know if you still need that." Yuuka just looks at me and sighs.

"Kaoru, judging by the fact that I'm talking right now, I can safely say that I don't need it." I'm surprised how articulate she is, despite having just woken up from a week long coma. I put my newspaper while rolling my eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay." I sigh. She seems to be fine, but I can't deny how deathly pale she looks in her hospital gown.

"What?"

"Do you not remember? You nearly died." Yuuka's face falls slowly. "We found you in the rubble." I'm still trying to forget that day. Everytime I try to sleep, all I see is Yuuka's blood on my hands, spread all over the concrete and my clothes.

"Wait, where's Raiden? What happened? Where is he?" Yuuka's eyes dart wildly. She starts to push up on the bed. I hold down her shoulders to keep her from moving. Yuuka's eyes close and her brows furrow. She probably moved too fast for his own good.

"We didn't find Raiden, but Shinji says that he's alive." I answer her question. "Don't move around too much. You lost a lot of blood." Yuuka just sighs and puts her pillows up so she can sit up properly.

"How long have I been out?" She whispers.

"A week."

"A week?" She gasps. "That's so long." She's silent as her eyes trail to the big bouquet of blue flowers on her nightstand, as if she only noticed them now.

"I don't know who the flowers are from." I answer the question that I'm sure is in her head, since I can't hear anything at the minute. "They kind of just appeared a couple of days ago. Originally, I thought Yusei had gotten them but it's not him. No one I've met so far has left them." I scratch my face, thinking of anyone else it could be.

"They're definitely not from Yusei, that's for sure." She squints at the flowers. "Morning glories are unusual to give like this, that's for sure."

"Oh that's what they're called? Though, what other flowers are blue like that?" Yuuka covers her mouth with her hand. She doesn't speak. "I'll go tell the doctors that you're up."

I come back with a doctor, who checks over Yuuka. I notice the doctor glancing at Yuuka's mark, but saying nothing. The doctors were freaked out by her accelerated healing, something Shinji told me she has because of her powers. She checks all of the basics. Pulse, blood pressure, dilation of her pupils in case of brain injury. Everything about Yuuka, minus the bandages covering her body, seems perfect. The doctor just discharges her on the spot. Why would they do that? She just woke up. She should stay a night, just in case. What's going on? I look at Yuuka who just frowns at me. The doctor asks me to come with her to fill some forms. "Oh yeah, Emiko got you clothes. They're in the second drawer. You should change into them now." I tell Yuuka before leaving the room. Emiko went to Yuuka's apartment, but didn't find much that was  _appropriate for someone leaving the hospital_ , whatever that meant, so Emiko bought her comfy, casual clothes to wear.

Yuuka comes down to the lobby, full dressed, while I'm still filling in the forms. I feel her aura before I see her so I don't even have to look away from the form. "You doing okay?" I ask.

"As good as I can be at the moment." Yuuka gets preoccupied by Yusei who's standing with me. I texted him as soon as I left the room, and he instantly arrived.

"Right, you need somewhere to stay." I say, getting Yuuka's attention back. "You live on your own, you can't handle that at the minute with your injuries."

"I have to catch a flight at half five tomorrow morning. And with Nancy's shifts being how they are, there's no one to take care of you, honey. I'm sorry." And there goes our dad being shitty like always. The only nice thing he's ever done for us is let Yuuka stay with him after she ran away. Meanwhile he acts like seeing me every second weekend is too much of a hassle. I just think he's guilty about her, but doesn't give a shit about me.

"Yuuka, you can stay with us." Yusei pipes up.

"Are you sure?" I try reading Yuuka's face since I can't hear her thoughts again yet. She seems more apprehensive than I expected.

"Of course, it's the least we can do." Yuuka's face softens at his words.

"Are you okay with that?" Our dad asks despite the fact she looks more than okay with that. I hand the papers back to the lady at the desk, so Yuuka is free to go.

"Yeah," she nods, looking very pale.

"Right then, I'll call you a cab." Our dad offers and Yuuka makes a face. "Don't worry about it, I'll put it on my card." He starts power walking outside, leaving poor Yuuka to limp after him with her bad leg. Yusei offers to help her, but she declines. Yuuka really hates being helped or protected. Yusei and I talk about the situation at his place. He's already said that he'll give his room to her while he sleeps on the couch. This should only be temporary, something Yusei says himself.

"Right, we'll see you at Poppo Time." I say to Yusei before he leaves. I wait with Yuuka, who's carrying her flowers. She's holding them tightly so I know better than to ask to take them.

I help Yuuka into the taxi, which is silent for the most of the ride. I'm confused on how to feel about our dad being Yuuka's emergency contact, since our mom, despite everything, would be more helpful than he'll ever be. I help Yuuka to the door of Poppo Time before hopping back in the taxi. Might as well take advantage of my dad's kindness while he's paying.

Shinji's going to visit Yuuka tomorrow with some news. I've guessed what it is, but I don't want to say it aloud. Yuuka is now a gang leader, a very crippled one. I remember Shinji's words to me that day in the hospital.  _The only way to protect her is to say that you have her back._  I sigh to myself. I'm hoping I'm wrong. But I suppose if she needs me, I'll be there for her. That's what brothers are for, right?

* * *

I was right. Yuuka is now a gang leader, not only that, she's homeless and unemployed too. She says that she's handing the gang over to some kid named Yuudai, but Shinji seemed skeptical at best. He did say that everyone has left Black Flag now, that it basically doesn't exist anymore, barely hanging on because of Yuuka.

"So wait, why are we meeting with them again?" I ask Yuuka as she practically drags me to the park with her.

"Important business." As we walk, I notice Yuuka's limp getting considerably worse. I don't point it out because she'd probably punch me. It's been a week since Yuuka left the hospital, and I still can't hear her thoughts.

"Okay, but who are they?"

"Takumi and Kenta," she answers, "they're friends of mine."

"Oh okay," I nod. Is she blocking me out purposefully? She's clearly up to something. I just wish she'd be honest with me. I'm her brother after all.

We finally arrive at the park. Yuuka makes us walk to the other side of the park until we reach a gazebo. From here, I can spot two people inside, and feel the aura of one of them. There seems to be no one around today. Probably because it's the middle of December and it's cold. I don't even want to be here.

"Oh dear gods, there's two of them." A small, dark-skinned guy says as we go to enter the gazebo. He's the one with an aura. He feels  _cold_. His aura gives me the prickly sensation of having ice directly on your skin. His eyes meet mine. A bright forest green nearly hidden behind brown hair falling in his face.

"What do you m-" The second guy turns around to face us. Both of us freeze as we meet eyes. I get a shiver down my spine. His brown eyes trail over my face before moving to Yuuka's. His blond fringe trails over most of his right eye. He's tall, most likely taller than me, and broad too, he definitely works out. Wait, why am I thinking about that? "I mean they look alike but-"

"No, it's not that." The brown-haired guy raises a hand over his mouth. "Their auras, they're practically the same."

"What does that mean?" I turn to ask Yuuka.

"I don't know." He answers for Yuuka, but keeps looking only at her.

"Could that be why we can hear each other's thoughts?" I ask the brown-haired guy, who's made no effort to introduce himself.

"Could be. Unusual, considering most other telepaths can't hear your sister's thoughts at all."

"Telepaths?" The blond guy also stares at Yuuka. He turns his back to us, looking over the lake next to the gazebo. He seems so cool and effortless, like he has everything under control. "Besides the point, what's the story? You disappeared for like three months."

"It's a long story," Yuuka sighs.

"You always say that." The blond guy turns back around. He leans on the railings and crosses his arms.

"Believe me,  _I mean it_." Yuuka's eyes widen. I can't hear her thoughts. I try to ask mentally to introduce me to them. They clearly know me, but I don't know which one is which.

The brown-haired guy starts to tear into Yuuka about leaving Black Flag. About how it was an irrational decision that landed her and everyone in trouble. He asks me how I feel, including me in all this. He must know that I was there. I tell him the truth. She did the right thing, but she could have gone about it in a different way. Yuuka knew psychics don't take bad news well. Why did she even duel him if she knew? Did she know her control of her powers would fail her? She hasn't told me these things. He goes to tear into her again, but the blond guy stops him.

"Calm down, Kenta." The blond guy says. That means his name is Takumi then. It suits him. A strong name for a strong looking guy. What is wrong with me? "You know why she did it. Some things went wrong, this changes nothing. It's not going to stop our plan." That snaps me out of my daze.

"What plan?" I rapidly look between Yuuka and Takumi. I knew she was hiding something.

"What? You haven't told him yet?" Takumi raises an eyebrow at Yuuka.

"No, I can't have him blabbering on about how this is a bad idea to  _certain_ people."

"What's going on, Yuuka?" I stare at her. What has she been hiding on me?

"You know how I left Black Flag?" She asks.

"Yeah, you said that you're done with gangs." I finish for her.

"Well, I'm not." She slowly nods her head while not looking in my direction.

"What?" I feel my voice raising and static in my hands. "You can't! I mean," I take a deep breath, "you're not strong enough. You can barely walk without being in a heap-"

"I'm not doing anything now, dumbass. I know that." Yuuka finally looks at me again. "Nothing's going to happen until I leave Poppo Time." I see Yuuka slyly side eye Takumi.

"What's going to happen then?" I can feel my hands starting to shake. This is Yuuka's thing, I notice, why am I doing this?

"Well, it's simple." Takumi answers. "We're going to rid the City of gangs."

It takes a second for Takumi's words to register in my brain.

"Wait, what?"

"Exactly what he said." Yuuka says as I turn to look at her. Oh, this is her plan. Was this the mad idea Shinji talked about? Did he know and try to warn me? Did he know Yuuka would bring me here?

"No, not that. Why am  _I_ here?" Is she going to ask me to…

"Well," Yuuka stares at her hands while she plays with them, "you're going to help us." Her eyes close and she takes a deep breath.

"No!" I exclaim. "Nope, not doing it. No way." Yuuka gives me a pleading look. She can't be serious. I can't get involved in gangs. I said I would support Yuuka, but I can't get involved in  _gang warfare_.

"Please, just  _listen_." I think about just walking away. What she's asking is crazy. But I sigh, letting her continue. "As you know, we can hear each other's thoughts. If you don't join us, it's going to be hard for both of us. I can't keep an eye on you. People might use you to get at me, I don't want that to happen."

She wants to keep an eye on me? That can't be right.

There's silence. I hear the soft drizzle on the gazebo roof and the lake.

What she's asking me to do is crazy. Not only is she asking for my complete support, she's asking me to join a  _gang_. Gangs are illegal. If I got caught, who knows what would happen? Then I remember why Yuuka ran away in the first place. Because I refused to support her, because it meant breaking the rules, because there was a chance that something could go wrong for  _me_ , not her.  _The only way to protect her is to say that you have her back._  Shinji's words echo in my word. I already let down Yuuka once before. I can't let myself do it again.

"Fine," I hold the bridge of my nose and exhale. I can't believe I'm doing this. "I'm only doing this so I can protect you. The minute you get hurt, we're leaving."

"Okay," she says very cooly.

"Is that why you haven't been answering me? Just so you can hide your _little secret_?" I feel myself getting closer to the top where I'll lose control. I can't handle this.  _I'm joining a gang._  Yuuka looks at me. She bites her lip.

"No," Kenta answers. "There's something wrong with her. Her aura, it's different. You can't hear his thoughts, am I right?"

"That's right," Yuuka responds while covering half of her face and looking at the ground. "Nothing works; I can't sense auras either."

"How is that possible?" Takumi stares wide-eyed at Yuuka.

"I don't know, ever since that duel-" I see her struggling with the idea. I feel bad for getting mad at her now.

"Wait, didn't you say that you didn't have control of your powers during that duel?"

"What?" Kenta's eyes dart all around the place, trying to comprehend the idea. Everyone seems to make a big deal out of this.

"Yes," she nods. "During the duel, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't control my powers."

"Do you know why?" I feel myself soften again. I feel terrible. I've been angry at her for a week, while she's been suffering from more than I've imagined.

"I reckon it's to do with her emotions." Kenta stares intently at Yuuka. "A lot has happened to you since I've last seen you, this could be the result of that."

"Probably," Yuuka answers. "Enough about me. What has happened since Raiden disappeared? Shinji's only told me so much." She, then, changes the conversation topic completely.

Takumi explains all of the gang stuff. Gangs getting taken out in the aftermath of the Black Flag base falling, their territory becoming smaller. I learn that Takumi and Kenta are not from Black Flag, but the Onyx Slicers. Kenta talks about our first target.

"Our best bet is taking out The Jackals first." He slowly looks between Yuuka and I. "They're the smallest next to Black Flag. They're also the only gang that didn't take over another gang in the last week or so. Probably means that they're the weakest right now, and that they should be our first target."

"Sounds fair," I respond, bringing a hand to my mouth. "We should wait until after the New Year. That'll mean Yuuka has more time to recover, and we can enjoy the holiday season too." Kenta looks surprised by my comment.

"You're nothing like your sister, you know that?" He smirks while raising an eyebrow at me.

Yuuka gets us out of there very quickly, saying that she's in a lot of place. Granted, she's been sitting on the concrete floor since we get here after walking for a while.

"Thanks for having my back," she says as I walk her back to Poppo Time.

"Don't worry about it," I pat her on the back.

 **Emiko:**   _How did hanging out with Yuuka's friends go? What did you talk about?_

**Kaoru:** _Nothing much, just general talking_

**Emiko:** _Did you talk about me? ;)_

**Kaoru:** _No? You didn't come up_

* * *

Christmas comes around quickly. Yuuka invites to have Christmas at Poppo Time with her friends since our mom went away with her sisters and I really didn't want to go. The ability to hear each other's thoughts slowly returns, and she doesn't know why. I learn that Yuuka is far more clever than she lets on. The Yuudai she was giving Black Flag to isn't real, and is just her alter ego. She claims it's so no one gets suspicious about when the whole territory takeover thing starts. The only one who might be suspicious is Shinji, but she doubts that he'll say anything.

By the time mid January rolls around, Yuuka is back on the job and apartment hunt. Yuuka is sick of sleeping on Yusei's couch. Yes, she said couch. Apparently she was too stubborn about not taking Yusei's bed that he stepped down. Shinji made a face when I told him that. He clearly knows something. Emiko offers up the guest bedroom in her house. Yuuka turns down the idea immediately because she's marked, and Emiko's dad is a politician.

So I throw out the idea of Yuuka moving back home.

That doesn't go well at all.

It's clearly the best thing for her. But she can't see that. Every other combination involves sleeping on someone's couch and taking advantage of their kindness. Every job application has been denied. She couldn't afford anywhere. Prices have skyrocketed after unifying with the Satellite because there is now so many more people to house. Yuuka's backed into a corner, and refuses to even consider the most reasonable option in front of her.

Well, she refuses to consider the idea until  _Yusei_  talks to her about it. If Yuuka brings up Yusei  _one more time_ , I'm going to break the man's kneecaps myself. She's crazy about him, but is adamant that she  _does not_  like him at all.

Our mom begins to  _weep_ at the mere sight of her. Before Yuuka came to the City, she cried over bottles of wine. When she was here, she argued with her. When Yuuka ran away, she went right back to crying over wine. We move to the living room. Our Mom keeps apologising. She blames herself for what happened, just like I do. Then Yuuka says something that shocks both of us.

Yuuka says that she  _forgives_ our mom for what happened.

Our Mom starts crying, clinging to me very tightly. I smile at her, and mentally thank her. There's a bittersweet expression on her face. I hear Yuuka's thoughts. The guilt that our Mom feels, Yuuka has felt that too. I don't fully understand, but I'm glad that Yuuka has gotten to this point.

"Please. Just be my daughter again." Our Mom pleads. I feel a pang in my heart. Yuuka's face begins to soften until she agrees. I let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Yuuka is only back at home for a matter of days before the whole gang thing, Team Liberation, starts. I'm so nervous that it's hard to concentrate when our game plan is being discussed. Anako has prepared me for dealing with psychics, something she insisted on for some reason. I just take as many deep breaths as I can.

"Are you nervous, huh?" Takumi asks me after we've discussed the game plan.

"Yeah," I hold my mug of hot tea close to me. "I've never had anything to do with gangs before."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone starts somewhere. You have us with you, you'll be fine." Takumi meets my eyes as he speaks. I get a warm feeling in my chest, though I'm not sure that it's not just the tea. "Your sister is good at this sort of thing. You can hear her thoughts right? She'll help you. We're all here you, mate." Right, Yuuka. We're talking about Yuuka, not Takumi. Why would Takumi care about me? I barely know him. We're just in a gang together.

Takumi continues to talk to me as we get ready to go inside The Jackals' base. He pats me on the back when I feel static in my hands. He looks at me with sincere eyes. I look at Yuuka and try to talk to her mentally, but she just blocks me out. Why is Takumi being so nice to me? Is it just me? Is he like this with everyone? Is it because this is my first gang thing ever? Does he like me? Hold on, wait. Retrack. I'm straight, why do I care? Does he think I'm cool? Or is it just because I'm his friend's brother, who just happens to be in the same gang? Gods, this is so confusing. I don't need this today of all days.

The attack on The Jackals goes really well surprisingly. Sure I get a gash on my waist, that heals pretty quickly. It turns out that I share Yuuka's fast healing. It doesn't even leave a scar after a few days. But still, I managed to defeat the leader of the gang all by myself.  _Me_. Taking down a gang. I'm still in disbelief. Takumi congratulating me certainly didn't help the butterflies in my stomach.

In next few days, our main focus is to hide our scars from everyone else. Yuuka refuses to take off her jacket, no matter how hot she gets. If only I has followed that idea. Anako finds out because I decide to take off my hoodie during a training session, displaying the scars on my arm, which have mostly healed. I manage to get her to keep quiet, but she did offer to help us if we needed it.

When I leave the training session, the same thing happens again with  _Emiko_.

"Kaoru?" Her voice is quiet. I instantly drop my hoodie on the floor of her bedroom. Thankfully, we're alone. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just got jumped on, I was lucky Yuuka was there."

"You're lying to me." Her eyes met mine, and they're filled with tears. "Please just  _stop_. Ever since Yuuka was in the hospital, all you've done is lie to me. Kaoru, I am your  _friend_. Stop lying to me,  _please_."

"Emiko, I-"

"What has Yuuka gotten you involved in?" Her eyes narrow. Her normally warm gold eyes seem brutally cold.

"You won't believe me."

"Try me." Her voice is blunt.

"Well," I sit back down slowly. "You know the way Yuuka was part of a gang, and left?" She nods. "Just because she's done with Black Flag, doesn't mean she's done with gangs." Emiko's eyebrows furrow slightly, but she says nothing. "Well, her and her friends are trying to get rid of gangs in the City, and unify everyone. We're called Team Liberation, and we're doing a very good thing. I'm sorry I haven't told you." Her eyes move away from my face to the floor. "I couldn't tell you because they don't want people knowing about this. We could be in a lot of trouble if people know who are doing this. We're not using our real identities, it's that dangerous. I hope you can forgive, Emiko. Believe me I  _wanted_ to tell you-"

"I have some questions," she interrupts me.

"Go on-"

"Is Yuuka's friend Anako part of this?"

"No, why?"

"Does she know?"

"Yes," Emiko blinks in surprise, "but that's because she figured it out. Not because I told her. Why are you asking?"

"No reason." She sighs. "You've just been spending more time with her than me recently. And I've been feeling left out."

"But we went for lunch together, remember? And you said you liked-"

"I was  _lying_ , Kaoru." Tears well up in her eyes again. "She didn't want to be there, she didn't want to meet me. You sat beside her instead of me, and I could tell she was happy about that. Don't you see what's happening, Kaoru? I'm getting  _replaced_." The tears start pouring down her cheeks. "You're replacing me with a taller, prettier girl who you have more in common with. Kaoru, we've been best friends since we were kids. I can't believe you're doing this to me."

"Oh Emiko!" I reach for her arm. She tries to jerk away from me, but I catch her. "Don't think I'm replacing you." She looks at me, her face wrinkled from trying to stop the tears. "It might look that way to you, but that's not what's happening. I'm only training with Anako, and she's just a friend. I'm only training so I can control my powers. So I can do this Team Liberation, so I won't hurt anyone, so I won't hurt  _you_."

"Me?" She whispers.

"Yes," I sigh. "When my powers activated, all I could think about is what if that attack was aimed at you and not the dummy." She gasps. "I just kept thinking  _what if I hurt you_. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened." I start to wipe away her tears, but she jolts away from me and wipes them herself.

"I can't believe that." She sniffles. "Do you really care about me that much?"

"Of course I do, you're my best friend."

"Alright, alright, I believe you." Emiko starts to laugh and rub her eyes. "I'll forgive you-"

"That's great-"

"On one condition." Her voice suddenly gets cold again. All I can do is nod slowly. "Promise me that you don't like that girl Anako, like more than just a friend."

"No, I don't." I answer honestly. "Why would I like her? That's such an odd promise." Emiko just sighs, looking rather dejected. I don't have the guts to question her. So what if I like Anako more than just a friend? Why would Emiko care so much? It's not like her to be so invested in my love life.

* * *

I don't tell anyone that Emiko and Anako know about Team Liberation. Just in case Yuuka takes the opportunity to beat me up. She doesn't even need her powers, she'd just use her fists. We start patrolling our new territory. This is a regular thing apparently.

"I have a question," I ask Yuuka one day on patrol. While we can talk mentally, both of us agree that it's more comfortable for us to talk out loud.

"Shoot."

"So Emiko told me that you can never the word  _psycho_  about a psychic because that's offensive. But why is the psychic nightclub called Psycho?"

"Well," Yuuka takes a deep breath. "Psychics can use the word, but not normal people. Psycho implies that all psychics are insane. A lot of psychics being mentally ill has nothing to do with our powers, that's just life dealing us an extra shitty hand. That word gets thrown at any person who dares reveal their powers. We're just taking that word back, and putting it on a nightclub, so that it won't hurt us."

"That's pretty brave," I mutter. "I still have a lot to learn about being a psychic."

"You learn that by just existing." She nods slowly. "By living as yourself, just accepting yourself for who you are."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

* * *

"The thought of being a psychic never occurred to you?" Kenta asks me while on patrol.

"No." I shake my head. "I assumed it was just Yuuka. She's always the oddball in the family. Does it run in families?"

"I've never met any two psychics that are related, so I can't answer that."

"That's fair." I nod. "It was a shock when my powers appeared."

"Quick question, are you gay? In any way. I mean, not straight."

"No." I answer quickly. "Did I give you the impression that I was?"

"Oh no, just wondering." There's a pause. "It's mostly just because you're related to Yuuka. You know what she's like." He looks at my face. "On second thought, just ask her yourself."

* * *

"How's gang stuff going for you?" Takumi asks on another patrol.

"Good, I guess." I find it hard to meet his eyes. I feel like they pierce right through me, leaving me at his mercy.

"Ah, don't say that." He smacks me on the back playfully. "You defeat the boss all by yourself last time."

"I mean that's true-"

"Have you given a thought as to  _why_  we're doing this?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. I only joined Team Liberation to protect Yuuka. I didn't join them because I believed in what they're doing. Takumi asked me to think about it. There's no point in me being here if that's the case, that's what he told me. So, fearing I'd get kicked out, that's exactly what I did.

"I have, exactly." I chuckle nervously. "I agree with you. Yuuka's explained some of it to me. Psychics really do get dealt the best hand in life. I know that some people don't get the choice in the matter. But joining a gang won't solve your problems. They only just create misery. Sure, look at Yuuka, she felt so trapped in Black Flag because of Raiden. Who knows how many people feel just like her? I can't stand the thought of it."

Takumi nods very slowly. He pats my arm very gently.

"Yeah," he mutters. "You got it. We just want to help people, Kaoru. Gangs only create violence just by existing. That cycle needs to be broken, and we're going to be the ones to do it. You're exactly right. We need to get rid of gangs, create more options. No one deserves to feel trapped. If only we could do it everywhere."

* * *

I knock on Yuuka's door in the middle of the night. My phone says it's two in the morning, and the both of us are still awake. I still knock on the door because Yuuka loves her privacy. She mentally tells me to come in. She's lying face-down on the bed, her preferred position. I walk in, and sit on the seat next to her sewing machine.

"Can't sleep?" She asks, more out of a sense of obligation if nothing else. She knows that neither of us can sleep at the minute. She's only home because we fought a gang today, a habit we've formed. She spends all of her time at Poppo Time. When Yuuka came to live with us, I imagined she'd sleep here more than one night a week. But apparently, she doesn't mind sleeping on Yusei's couch if she isn't technically mooching off him twenty-four-seven.

"Nope." Yuuka finally turns her face so she's looking at me, while her body doesn't move at all.

"What's on your mind? That's normally why you don't sleep." She knows I'm an overthinker. I think that's why she probably doesn't listen to my thoughts. It would just give her anxiety. But that means I'm stuck alone with my crippling anxiety. Yuuka doesn't sleep because she keeps having maybe the same three dreams, and I normally get subjected to them. How many times will Yusei lie motionless in a pool of blood? I can recount the details of what happened in Yuuka's mysterious trip to the Satellite because she recounts it in her dreams every third night.

"I just keep thinking about that Miguel guy and his friends." I answer honestly. "I always thought that gang leaders were these horrible mafia bosses who needed to be taken down. But, Miguel's friends, they…" I pause. "They seemed so normal. They were cheering him on, and supporting him when they lost. They didn't care that they had lost territory, all that mattered was that they had each other."

"Well, Takumi and I are technically gang bosses."

"I thought you weren't like the rest of them." Yuuka pouts. I think she's been feeling the same way. "I can't help but feel like we've destroyed something very important. I heard something on the news a while ago. People normally turn to gangs to have a sense of family. You said a lot of psychics are in gangs here, that makes a lot more sense now. It makes me sad just thinking about it."

I thought this was a good idea, but now I'm not so sure. Surely we're hurting just as many people as we're helping. We're ruining a community, just to help it.

"That's just the way things are," she sighs heavily. I realise that Yuuka knows that all too well. Most of the people surrounding Yuuka know her because of gangs. I wonder if she comprehends the fact that she's denying people that same opportunity.

"It doesn't have to be that way!" I raise my voice ever so slightly, not so much that it wakes our mom up. "We shouldn't be treated in such a way that we turn to gangs."

"I know," she sighs again, "There's not much we can do."

"You keep saying that. There must be something we can do." There's a hefty silence between us. "But still, I can't help but feel like what we're doing is wrong."

"You're free to leave anytime." Her face goes completely neutral like normal, with just a hint of bitterness. "I've told you that."

"Not until I can guarantee your safety." I stand up. Regardless of how I feel about what we're doing, I need to make sure she's safe. "Keep your eyes open. There's someone out there who's got their eye on you." I start to walk towards the door. "Just, keep safe, okay?"

"I will," Yuuka says before pushing her face back into her pillow. I leave her room and close the door behind me. I sigh.

If only there were a straightforward way. To help all psychics without hurting some of them first. But who am I? A Duel Academy student who's greatest accomplishment is finding the sister he pushed away by random chance, only because his friend helped. No one would even listen to me anyway.

No.

This system isn't doomed to fail us. I can do something to help. I just have to keep trying. Keep pushing until I can change the system from the inside. That's what I have to do.

* * *

I end up getting a D-Wheel. Admittedly, it was somewhat of an impulse buy. Yuuka won a riding duel against Miguel from the Phantom Riders, and ever since, I haven't stopped thinking about what it would be like to do one. Especially since I heard Yuuka's thoughts during it, and how freeing it felt. Yuuka makes fun of me, claiming that I'm copying her by getting a D-Wheel. One thing Yuuka didn't tell me about is how hard it was to learn how to ride a D-Wheel. I would have given up, had I not spent all my savings on a new shiny D-Wheel. Yuuka suggests that I go roller skating. I tell her that's lame. Then, she implies that inviting Emiko would make it better. I know Emiko's my friend, and that would obviously mean having a better time. But the way she said it, like she knows something I don't, which is incredibly difficult when I can hear her thoughts. It makes very uncomfortable. The worst part of it is all that Yuuka says is that she's not allowed to tell. I thought there was supposed to be no secrets, but here we are.

I invite Anako to the rink with us. Mostly because Yuuka is with Emiko and I. Anako's been relying on me to get Yuuka to be around her. Apparently she's too  _nervous_ to just ask Yuuka to hang out. Surely, it can't be that hard.

The skating is  _tough_. I spend most of my time just slowly making my way around the rink in circles. Emiko mostly just laughs at me as I cling to both her and the railings around the edge. I'm suddenly hyper aware of her hand that's constantly placed on my back. It's not uncommon for her to do this. Emiko is not unafraid of platonic intimacy, which is something that confuses me, but I just can't say no to her. Meanwhile Yuuka is skating very slowly behind us, bored out of her mind.

"Kaoru!" I hear Anako shout. Yuuka's about to be less bored. Emiko immediately leaves me alone and drags Yuuka around the rink. I didn't consider that Emiko would be mad if I invited Anako. It's not like I asked Anako on a date here. Anako would have rathered a date with Yuuka. "Hey, how's it going?" She asks once she finally walks around the rink in the spectator area.

"I don't know." I try focusing on a line behind Anako's head on the wall.

"So, it's worth me paying the money then?" She nods, understanding how badly this is going.

"Oh yeah definitely."

I skate alone for a few minutes, watching Emiko and Yuuka making quick laps around me. As soon as Anako comes out into the rink, she makes a beeline for Yuuka. I watch all three of them nearly falls as Anako trips onto them. Emiko heads right back to me, no surprise there.

"Why is she here?" Emiko places her hand a little  _too_  forcefully on my back. "I thought you said you'd try to keep her away from me, and you  _invited_  her."

"In fairness, she didn't seem interested until I told her Yuuka was going." Confusion seeps across her face, before slowly fading into suspicion.

"So, you didn't fall when I was gone?" Emiko changes the topic of conversation immediately.

"No, but I was moving about as fast as a snail." This makes Emiko laugh, and then she playfully slaps me a little too hard, which nearly makes me fall. Luckily I don't because I would have fallen flat on my face.

Suddenly, Yuuka's aura shifts. I sense Anako's aura changing back to normal, but she definitely just took on Yuuka's aura. Is Anako asking to help with Team Liberation?

"Does Yuuka know that we know about…"

"Gods no."

"Did she just-"

"I don't know."

"Can't you hear Yuuka's thoughts?"

"Only sometimes." I sigh. "You know how secretive she is."

"Good point."

We continue to skate around. My skating actually improves eventually. No thanks to Yuuka and Anako, who spent the entire time talking to each other. I'm glad Anako got what she wanted out of this experience.

Yuuka definitely knows that Anako knows. All she does is glare at me. Her aura darkens. She makes a point of slamming her bedroom door. I just sigh and go to bed.

* * *

The sound of a phone ringing wakes me up. It's not my phone. I'm trying to remember what happened before I fell asleep. Yuuka and I had an insightful conversation after she had a nightmare and I couldn't sleep. Then, after getting a bit too emotional, she stormed off and went for a ride. After I told her not to. I feel my throat swelling up. I know it's her. Normally I can feel her blocking her thoughts, but now, it's a dull nothingness.

I hear my mom moving around in her room. I sigh. I know it's Yuuka, I can feel it. By the time I get dressed and open my door, my mom is standing at it about to knock. Tears are rolling down her face.

_Yuuka's been in an accident_ _. They said she was in the middle of a riding duel. She wasn't wearing proper riding gear. They've brought her into the hospital._

A riding duel at four in the morning? I know Yuuka. I know she wouldn't have participated in one in that stage, just in case her powers activated. This was clearly an ambush. Was it Raiden? I literally told her not even three hours ago that I thought he was up to something. I feel my rage building up. I smack the kitchen counter in frustration. The sink breaks within an instant. At the sound of spraying water, my mom runs into the kitchen. She manages to fix it enough that water stops pouring everywhere. We just go the hospital as we are.

Yuuka is in a more stable condition by the time we arrive. Her helmet is completely shattered. The pictures of her D-Wheel show that it's completely totalled. My entire body trembles and I feel vomit slowly rising from my stomach. If that's what her helmet looks like, what does Yuuka look like? She didn't even grab her shoulder pads, or elbow pads, or knee pads. What was she thinking?

I can't believe I'm stuck in this place again. I follow my first instinct and call Yusei. If worst comes to worst, as much as I can't bear that thought but it's something Raiden Kimura made me consider once, I suppose Yuuka would want him to know.

He arrives within twenty minutes, which is pretty impressive considering I woke him up. This time he's come without Jack and Crow. My mom sees him arrive, and gives him an understanding nod. Yusei's just as much family as we are, and she understands that.

The doctors come out not much later, telling us that Yuuka will be okay, if only a bit scraped up with a concussion. The tension that was thick in the air finally dissipates. The hospital staff tell us to come back when it's visiting hours, now that Yuuka is in a stable condition.

"Yusei, you're a handyman, aren't you?" Kasumi asks, staring off into the distance at nothing in particular. He answers yes. "You wouldn't happen to know how to fix a sink, would you?" She chuckles half-heartedly. "Kaoru broke the sink this morning because he was in such a panic."

We arrive again as soon as visiting hours hit. The staff let us through, no problem. My mom says the number of each room that we pass, until we reach Yuuka's. I see a smile on my mom's face as she pops her head in the door. Yuuka must be awake.

"Three minutes after visiting hours start, quite impressive, Ms. Hattori." I hear a man's voice. "May I talk to you outside please?"

"Of course," my mom says as she fully opens the door, letting me enter the room and the doctor leave. I take the empty seat beside Yuuka's bed.

I get my first good look at Yuuka. It takes all of me not to gasp. I thought she wasn't awake before we arrived. All I felt from her mind was a dull nothingness. Even now, that's all I feel. Bandages cover her entire head, but not her face. Her entire arms are covered, from the end of the hospital nightgown sleeves right down to the hands. I notice faint traces of blood poking through parts of the bandages.

"Do you know who did it?" I ask, certain that this was an ambush. Why else would two psychic duelists be on the highway dueling at four in the morning? Why else would she have sustained so much damage? Who else have that much of a vendetta against my sister that they would risk her life like that?

"No," she closes her eyes slowly. She sways ever so slightly. Even just saying the word  _no_  seems like it took a lot out of her.

"Security took your D-Wheel. They're making an investigation into the crash." She doesn't look like she's listening to me. I don't even think she can hear me. "Yuuka, was it…" Raiden? The door opens before I can finish the question. Our mom comes back into the room and sits down.

"Good news, honey. If your CT scan comes back okay, you might get discharged tomorrow." She puts her hand over Yuuka's, trying to calm her down. Yuuka looks panicked, like everything around her has finally made itself known to her. Our mom looks at her bandages and tuts. "You weren't wearing your protective gear." She sighs. "You should really get some riding leathers."

Our Mom keeps talking but Yuuka just keeps staring in front of her. Her brows furrow every now and again. Her mind still feels dull. No matter how hard I try to reach out, I get nothing. I can't stand it. Yuuka just seems so broken. I see her in front of me, but she might as well be a million miles away.

"I'm going to go home and study." I stand and leave without looking back. I can't stay here if it means looking at her like that.

* * *

I get home and just sit there. I take as many deep breaths as I can. Anako has already left. On the ride home, I thought of Team Liberation. Maybe Anako will finally get to help. Yuuka won't be in any shape to help for a very long time.

I start shaking. Nothing can control the shaking that takes over my body. This is how Yuuka describes her anxiety. An all-controlling shaking that refuses to stop until you give out. I hold my hands together, hunch up into a ball, just like she said. I take more deep breaths.

I don't know why I think this. But I want to call Takumi. So I do.

"How are you holding up?" He asks.

"Not well," I sigh. "She's in a bad state. Her concussion is pretty bad, she's disorientated as all hell."

"But she's okay?"

"Yeah, she'll survive. It will just take her awhile to recover."

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Takumi says out of the blue.

"What?"

"Not being able to protect her." There's a pause. "As much as you want to, you can't."

"What do you do?" I start fiddling with my hands, I put him on loudspeaker. "You're not new to this game, at least from what I've heard."

"Go on the offense, Kaoru."

"Offense?"

"The best defense is a good offence." He sighs. "Attack them before they attack you. Why do you think that only one gang has approached  _us_  so far? Because that's the way we want it."

"Makes sense."

"Of course it does, that's the truth."

"Takumi, can I ask you a favour?"

"Shoot."

"Can you help me find whoever did that to her?"

"Of course I will."

"I'll be in school, and knowing Yuuka, she'll go looking for him herself." I rub my hands on my face. "Just get something in for me. A punch, a duel, anything, I don't care."

Takumi laughs, it echoes from my phone's speaker.

"You're really worked up about this, aren't you?"

"Takumi, my sister was attacked by a psychic for the second time in a few months and put in hospital  _again_. If you're not worried, I'm worried about  _you_."

There's a pause.

"Yuuka is my best friend, Kaoru." I hear him take a deep breath. "If you think I don't care, you have another thing coming. I obviously want to get back at this guy, just as much as you do. I'll tell you something. When you're in a gang, you might as well be blood. You fight because you have to protect everyone you love. We're going to get back at this guy. I'd do the same for you."

"For me?" I echo. "You care about me that much?" My thoughts start going wild.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I guess you're right," I chuckle nervously. "Uh, my mom's about to come home. I gotta hang up."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," I choke out.

"Bye."

Silence. It's just me and my thoughts, which are currently going crazy. I take a deep breath. And another.

Why is Takumi caring about me such a big deal?

Why do I care about that so much?

I start to pace around the living room.

Takumi's just a friend. Correction, he's just Yuuka's friend, and I know him because we're in a gang together. That's only why he cares. Of course. No other reason. None at all.

Why do I want him to care? Why do I already care? He's just a guy that I know. He's no different to Shinji. Who am I kidding? Takumi's great. He's strong, he's caring, he's a leader, he has such strong principles and he follows them, he has this effortlessly cool energy. If someone said he wasn't admirable, they'd be lying.

I care too much, but why?

I remember Anako's word. I asked her to describe a crush, because I was never sure if I've had one. I thought I liked Emiko, but I never did. I thought I should, so I thought I did. But no, now I see that I was completely wrong. I never liked Emiko. Because...

I like Takumi Chiba. More than I absolutely ever should. It's not even a  _platonic_  like. I have a  _crush_  on Takumi Chiba.

"Oh gods," I whisper. "I like Takumi." I finally admit to myself out loud.

Not only do I like Takumi, but I like a  _boy_.

A thought enters my head. A thought that has never been there before. Something which I never considered.  _Am I gay?_

I sit back down on the couch. I take as many deep breaths as I can. This is a lot to comprehend. Not only is the possibility of me being gay suddenly a thing. But I think I have a crush on my sister's best friend. Oh, I am in trouble. Big time.


	10. In The Name of Love II

_Kaoru_

* * *

Yuuka takes out her mysterious attacker, some angry kid from the Jackals. I just wish I could have been there to beat him up, but no, she only dueled him again and won. After that, everything calms down again. Except for one major problem. I'm hiding that I'm suddenly now gay and I don't know how I'm going to cope. I think about telling Yuuka, but then I'd feel awkward because Takumi is one of her best friends. For some reason, I don't think I should tell Emiko first. Maybe because I thought I used to like her. I feel it would be awkward, and I don't think I'm ready for that. Anako's been busy, so the only person left is Shinji.

"So," Shinji crosses his arms. "I brought you here for a reason." Surprisingly, Shinji contacted me first and told me that he has something to talk about. The venue is the little ramen bar that he took me to when we first met.

"That being?"

"You've heard of the WRGP, right?"

"Yeah, that riding duel tournament that Yusei's entering."

"Oh good, y'know how the team are made up of three people?"

"Yes?" I nod. "Where are you going with this?"

"Well," he leans back in the chair and starts talking with his hands. "I had an idea, a great one at that." I nod again, letting him continue. "How about we form a team?"

"Me?" I point to myself, very unsure.

"Yes, you." He rolls his eyes.

"But I'm a psychic."

"Kaoru, you can control your powers." He sighs. "That isn't the problem here."

"What is then?" I ask. "We still need three people?"

"Oh no, we have Emiko."

"Oh? Emiko?" I wasn't expecting to hear her name. But that shouldn't surprise me. She's more motivated to go pro than I am. She's also a better duelist than I am. "Are you sure you want  _me_  on the team?"

"Kaoru," Shinji sighs again. "I've never beaten you in a duel. We duel, like, once a week. Why wouldn't we want you on the team?"

"Because Yuuka exists?"

"Right, this is where it gets interesting." Shinji smirks. "I'll be the backup rider, the benchwarmer, if you will. Our main trio is you, Yuuka, and Emiko. We'll be unbeatable."

"I mean, when you put it like that-"

"So you'll do it?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Yes!" Shinji high-fives me from across the table.

"That's not all we need to talk about." Shinji's hand lowers slowly back down as he stares at me.

"Oh gods, that doesn't sound good."

"I wouldn't call it  _not good_." I shake my head. "I wouldn't call it good either though."

"What's going on?" Shinji suddenly becomes very serious.

"I like someone." Shinji's eyebrows practically raise until they're in his hairline. "But the thing is… that I shouldn't."

"Yeah, Anako's super into your sister, so like-"

"It's not Anako."

"Don't worry about ruining the friendship, just tell Emiko-"

"It's not Emiko either." I slowly shake my head.

Shinji's face falls. I stare at my hands that are resting on the table. I start looking around me. The place is pretty empty, and the staff just look completely zoned-out.

"Then who is it?"

There's silence. There's a look of hesitation on Shinji's face. I think he's starting to catch on. I just have to say the words. I've admitted it to myself countless times. Now, I just have to say those words to Shinji.

"It's… Takumi." I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest, and I can suddenly breathe again.

"Takumi?" Shinji echoes. "Takumi… Chiba?"

"Yes," I sigh. "Yuuka's friend, Takumi. You can see why I shouldn't like him, but I do."

A grin breaks out on Shinji's face. He tries to cover it as he leans back in the chair. He licks his lips, still trying to hide the grin.

"I thought you were-"

"Straight, yeah." I finish for him.

"So you're-"

"Not." I say it bluntly. I feel the power in just that single word. I don't know what it will mean for me.

"Who else knows?" Shinji leans forwards and rests his elbows on the table.

"No one…" I try looking anywhere but him.

"I'm the first person you told?" Disbelief spreads over his face. "Not even Yuuka? Or Emiko?"

"No, I thought you'd be the best person to tell."

There's a pause. Shinji rubs a hand over his face. He exhales deeply. I watch his face intently. He bites his lips very suddenly. It's then I notice that his eyes are tearing up.

"What?" I whisper.

"I'm just so happy for you." Shinji rubs his eyes before he starts crying. "Do you know what you just did?"

"No?"

"You just came out for the first time."

"I guess I did, huh?" Shinji just laughs.

"Come here and give me a hug, dumbass."

* * *

"You need to be careful," I tell Yuuka the next time we're on patrol. The experience is made tedious by the fact that she's limping again, though it's not as bad as last time.

"Kaoru, I'm  _fine_. Walking is probably good for my stupid ankle anyway."

"That's not what I'm talking about." I notice Yuuka slow down ever so slightly, which is annoying because she's already walking slow today.

"What do you mean then?"

"I just want you to be careful." I sigh, matching her walking pace. Luckily, we're walking through an industrial estate, so no one should overhear us. "You got attacked by someone from a gang we defeated. Raiden is still on the loose. I just want you to stay safe and unharmed.  _Please_."

"Kaoru, I can take care of myself. I beat Raiden once in a duel, and I can do it again. I beat that kid the other day. I'll be fine."

"Yuuka, that doesn't negate the fact that you could have, and nearly, died. You're a girl and-"

"Oh gods," she groans. "Stop pretending like you have to protect me, and if you don't, something bad will happen. I can take care of myself. Besides…"

"What?"

"Bold of you to assume I identify as a girl."

"What?" I repeat, blinking very slowly. "But you're…"

"Genderqueer, look it up." I look at her, very confused. She rolls her eyes and continues to explain. "I don't really identify with any one particular gender over another. If anything, sometimes I feel like a mishmash of everything. Sometimes I think gender is overrated and I have none."

"Oh okay," I nod slowly.

"You vaguely understand?" She asks.

"Yeah, Reika told me she's non-binary and explained the whole thing to me. I just hadn't heard of genderqueer before."

"Oh," she mutters. "Wasn't expecting that."

"I know things." I nod very sharply.

"Yeah, straight people don't really know a lot of things, so I didn't get my hopes up." She pats me on the arm. "Look at you being a good ally though."

"Yep," I answer nervously. "That's a fair assumption." Yuuka looks at me weirdly for a second before shrugging her shoulders.

* * *

Shinji convinces me to tell Emiko next with some hesitation. When I meet up with her at her house, she looks more dolled up than usual. Or maybe it's just the brighter lipstick and slightly more exaggerated winged eyeliner.

"What did you want to talk about?" Emiko smooths down her hair, which has already been straightened meticulously to get rid of the natural curl in her hair.

"I need to tell you something," I exhale deeply. She perks up.

"And what would that be?"

"Okay," I exhale again. I've done it once, so it will be easier this time. That's what Shinji told me. "So, I… like someone." Emiko blinks at me rapidly. "But the thing is… I shouldn't. If you get what I mean."

"Why shouldn't you like them?"

"If I tell that person, it could make things awkward." I pause. "For everyone."

"It's definitely not Anako, is it?"

"Why does everyone assume I like her?"

"Okay, nevermind." She replies quickly. "What were you saying?"

"If I tell this person, it could literally change my entire life." And it's already starting to.

"And who is it?" Emiko starts smoothing her hair again.

"It's…" I take a deep breath. "Takumi." Emiko freezes completely. She stares at me, mouth very slightly ajar. "He's one of Yuuka's best friends. He's on Team Liberation too. He's strong, he's smart, he's funny, he cares about me. I can't get him out of my head. I don't know what to do. I guess this means I'm gay?" I look at Emiko, who's face hasn't moved a single inch. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tears starts streaming down her face. "This is huge for you."

"Why are you crying?" I move to wipe away her tears but she jerks back completely.

"I'm just… so  _happy_ for you." She starts wiping her tears herself. Her eyeliner is already starting to smudge all around her eyes, and transferring to her hands. She reaches over to her bedside locker and grabs a tissue.

"Really?" I ask. I expected Emiko to be more emotional than Shinji, but to burst into tears? I'm clearly missing something here.

"Of course I am, Kaoru." She nods and looks down at the tissue covered in smudged eyeliner and chuckles. "Obviously. You basically just came out to me. That's a big deal. That took a lot of courage, and you did it."

"Thank you, Emiko." I sigh in relief. "It means a lot."

"Yeah, yeah." She nods. "You need support right now. That's what you need. What you don't need is me crying." She throws the damp tissue in the bin and grabs another one. She just starts to slowly crumple it up in her hands, rotating it slightly every time. "I'm so proud of you, Kaoru. Who else have you told?"

"Only Shinji."

"Not Yuuka?"

"No, Takumi's her friend. So I'd feel awkward. Aside from Takumi, she's the last person I want to tell."

"You do realise Shinji is friends with him too?"

"Yeah, I know. I realised that after I told him. Shinji somehow makes things not awkward."

"True," she nods slowly. "But yeah, Takumi…"

"Yep."

"I haven't met him yet, you need to introduce me."

"Of course."

There's a pause. Emiko's eyes slowly make her way around the room, before stopping on her desk.

"I need to study for my linear algebra test," she says softly.

"Isn't that in two weeks?"

"No harm in being prepared."

"You want me to leave?"

"Yeah, it's probably for the best." She nods slowly. "I'm still proud of you. I hope things go well when you tell him."

"Thank you," I say again. We say our goodbyes, which seem shorter than usual. As soon as I close the door, I hear Emiko starting to sob. I think about opening the door again, but I decide to walk away.

* * *

Emiko seems fine the next time I talk to her. She's stopped  _completely_  hating Anako, which is a drastic improvement. Anako seems the same way. Despite Yuuka's recovery, she's on standby to help us still. With one gang left, I seemed doubtful that she'd be helpful. Turns out that I spoke too soon.

I'm awoken in the early hours of the morning by another phone ringing. This time, it's Yuuka's phone. I hear her muttering on the phone through the wall. I pay attention to her thoughts. She's not talking to Yusei.  _Yusei's missing_. I hear a glimpse of her thoughts. My mind goes to the exact same place that hers does. I start to get ready. I head downstairs, as quietly as I can, and start to pack a bag with all of our gang things in them.

"Who is it?" I ask when Yuuka finally gets downstairs. All of the colour has drained from her face. Considering she's already very pale, she literally looks like a ghost right now.

"I don't know," I reply. "My bet is Cardinal Dragons, they're the only gang left and they wanted to do this on their own terms." Yuuka steps into the garage, picking up her helmet.

"You're not driving." It takes all of me not to snap at her. She starts glaring at me. "Not like this, you're not. You're too emotional right now, you'll probably crash again and that's not going to help anyone." Yuuka stares down at her hands. They're shaking violently. The helmet itself is trembling. I put my hand on top of the helmet to steady it. Yuuka keeps her eyes on my hand. I take a deep breath and clear my head. "I'll drive us over, it'll be a tight squeeze on my D-Wheel, but it'll be worth it." Yuuka merely exhales and puts her helmet on.

* * *

The rescue mission goes smoothly. Too smoothly. We find Yusei in their empty base after getting a call from the leader of the Cardinal Dragons. I text Anako, telling her to meet us in the Daimon Area, which that's where Yuuka is headed.

"It was completely empty," I tell Yuuka once we catch up to her.

"That's why you said it was a trap, wasn't it?" Yuuka nods.

"Why would they leave Yusei completely alone, when it was clear that they're luring us out?" Kenta ponders. Yuuka's head perks up. I feel two auras approaching. Yuuka darts off, leaving the rest of us behind.

"Leave her," I put my hand out as Takumi tries to follow her. "The auras have split up. She's gone after the bigger one."

"Indeed she has." A mysterious voice replies. I turn around suddenly to find that the second aura has miraculously sneaked up on us. I scan the dude quickly up and down. Tanned skin, turquoise hair with horrid brown roots, and bright blood red eyes. A dark twinkle in his eyes betrays what lies behind his baby face. "Was that a wise decision? I suppose we shall find out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takumi snarls. I put my hand up to silence Takumi. Yuuka's aura is on the move again. The other aura I felt comes running, stopping behind the little shit in front of us. Yuuka stops near the entrance of the Daimon Area. Her mask is cracked and her wig is torn, but everything is still in place, for now. Yuuka's aura has become overpowering. Everyone's aura heightens just from being in her presence.

"Do you want this back, or should I return the favour?" Yuuka pulls out a knife sticking out of her torso. It takes of all me not to puke on the spot, though I do gag at the sight of her blood dripping onto the ground. The blood runs down her knife, onto her gloved hand, and then onto her sleeve.

"Well, well, well." The guy with the turquoise hair begins. "If it isn't the Fabled Queen of Neo Domino herself." I gasp. Could he have…? Yuuka's entire body tenses. Her mask begins to crack. It splits into two pieces and falls to the ground with a clatter. "Yuuka Sasaki." Everyone around me erupts into gasps and whispers. "It's a  _pleasure_ to have you here, Miss Sasaki."

"Is that what the kids are calling me these days? The Fabled Queen of Neo Domino? It has a nice ring to it." Yuuka kicks her broken mask out of the way before starting to walk slowly towards us. She throws her ripped wig behind her. Parts of her sandy blonde hair fall into her face.

"Jasper," the guy with turquoise hair turns to the tall dark guy beside him. "Make sure they don't interfere." Jasper summons Dark End Dragon and creates a cage of black matter around us. They're going after Yuuka. That's why they targeted Yusei and left him alone. Because they knew she'd come out of hiding, regardless if he was hurt or not. I punch against it. Electricity spreads throughout my entire body. I cradle my fist and everyone huddles around me.

"I'm fine," I mutter. We just need to get out.

"What's a Queen without her King?" The turquoise-haired guy turns his attention back to Yuuka. "You're nothing without him." He tilts his head, mocking her.

"Him?" Yuuka asks, keeping a completely neutral face. Blood from the wound on her forehead begins to trickle down her face. It keeps going until she has to squint to keep it out of her eyes.

"You know who I'm talking about."

"Do I?" Her aura flares slightly.

"You should. After all, you should feel bad after ignoring his advice."

"What do you mean?" I notice her hands starting to shake.

"You went to the Satellite, all alone. You went looking for something that was important to you." He takes one step forward, and Yuuka takes one back. How could he possibly know? I only know because I can hear her thoughts and there's only so much she can find from me. "But something happened." He tilts his head. "I don't want what, but it broke you. You were never the same, were you?" Yuuka begins to tremble. Her eyes start to glow orange. "Countless empty bottles surrounding you. You thought you could drink the pain away, but no. It was all too much for you. You wanted out, to end your suffering. So what did you do? You tried to hang yourself." Yuuka starts twitching and shaking. She starts to stumble backwards. I hear the gasps and whispers of everyone around me. "But that didn't work, did it?"

"Enough!" Shinji suddenly appears out of nowhere. He stands between the turquoise-haired guy and Yuuka.

"So,  _he_ had to help you, didn't he?" He keeps talking. "And guess what had to be done? Someone had to get your precious little Yusei involved, didn't they?" That's why he was there that day. Seemingly out of nowhere. "Why else would he have contacted you? To stop Little Miss Guilty from finishing the job? It was hard hiding the bruises, wasn't it?" I remember the turtleneck of her dress and how uncomfortable she seemed it to be in it. "Because that's when your dear old brother showed up, if I'm remembering right? Something about his psychic powers. Don't they come from a traumatic event? But he didn't have one, isn't that right?"

"What is he talking about, Yuuka?" I scream at her. She merely looks at me blankly.

"When did you get your powers? Enlighten us!" The turquoise-haired guy turns to look at me, a sadistic smile on his face.

"A few days after the Fortune Cup." I answer. I always thought seeing Yuuka again triggered them. It always made the most sense to me.

"A few days after the Fortune Cup…" He repeats. "Wasn't that when you went to the Satellite? Could it be that your traumatic experience was so bad that it triggered his powers and that's why you can hear each other's thoughts?"

"No!" Yuuka screams. She starts stumbling backwards. "No! No! No!  _No!_ " Shinji runs and catches Yuuka as she falls.

"Yuuka!" Yusei screams, practically in my ear.

I see Yusei covered in his own blood. I see the glowing purple mark that looks like a bird on Yuuka's arm. I hear the voice of the Underworld calling to her, telling her to finish Yusei. I feel myself falling into an abyss of swirling rainbow light. I feel the pain and anguish she felt. I feel electricity spark in my hands before I set that test dummy on fire. Of course.

"Ben, that's  _enough_." Jasper scolds, bringing me back to the real world.

"I'm just doing what I was told." Ben answers.

"Doing what you're told? Please. You're a monster, that's what you are!" A voice shouts, not too far away from us. It looks like a double of Yuudai, Yuuka's gang persona. Anako has finally arrived.

"Jasper, they have the same aura! What's going on?" Ben shouts. "And who do you think you are?" He sneers.

"Exactly who you think I am," Anako answers. "I'm Yuudai, plain and simple. I am that boy who died on Cardinal Dragons' territory all those years ago. I am fighting against what my death represents. I'm here to finish this." I remember the story Yuuka told me, about where her gang name came from. He's supposed to represent everything wrong with gangs.

Suddenly, Ben starts to crumple where he stands.  _What would Raiden do?_  I hear Yuuka's thoughts loud and clear. I look to her. She's standing up again, though still leaning on Shinji. The aura of everything around me feels corrupted and  _sickening_. Ben's aura is getting pulled and twisted in all directions. Is Yuuka doing this? Ben's body starts trembling, and his neck twists up unnaturally. Kenta, with his tiny frame, throws himself between the gaps of our imprisonment and starts running. He runs all the way to Yuuka and strikes her shoulders. The tension in the air dissipates instantly. I feel like I can breathe again. Kenta strikes her other shoulder, disabling her entirely.

"What are you doing?" She screams, her arms dangling by her side.

"Yuuka, stop!" He screams right back in her face. "Can't you see what you're doing?"

"Kenta, I need to do this. He needs to feel my pain!"  _He needs to feel my pain_. I get a shiver down my spine. That's the same thing that the voice of the Underworld told Yuuka before she fought Yusei. At this, Kenta slaps her right across the face.

"Stop it Yuuka!"

"No!" Yuuka turns her gaze to Ben. Her face contorts, and she brings Ben instantly to his knees. Jasper throws himself between them. Her attention turns to Jasper who begins to spit blood. She keeps going, until she suddenly… stops. She's thinking about Yusei. Did she come to the same realisation that I did?

Everything starts to slow down again. The air in the Daimon Area still remains unnaturally cold, but I know that's just Yuuka's powers acting up. There's so much to process, but I don't have the time to think about it. Darkness still lingers in my sister, no matter how much she denies it. A part of her is still angry at the world for everything that's happened to her. That fact has just been shoved right back in her face. Not only that, this is the reason  _why_  I am a psychic. If Yuuka just simply accepted her fate, I would be a psychic. If she had never followed through on that anger, I wouldn't be here.

"Hey, get us out of here!" I scream over to Anako who hasn't moved.

"Not now!" She screams back.

"You came for me, did you? Help us!"

"No! I came for her!" She starts sprinting towards Yuuka. "I love her! I told you that!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I whisper under my breath. They're far enough away that we can't hear them talking.

"Kaoru, who the fuck did you tell?" Takumi turns to me.

"Anako." I throw my hands up. "In my defense, she guessed it and I didn't deny it."

"None of this makes sense." Crow pipes up. "Maybe Anako, a little bit."

"You're telling me?" I answer sarcastically.

"Where is he?" Yuuka screams, jumping back onto her feet. I feel Ben's aura  _quiver_.

"You need to be more specific," he sighs to hide the nervousness.

"Where is Raiden Kimura?" I gasp and grab the cage still surrounding us. I try to scan Yuuka's mind. That's how they knew who she was. "You know where he is. He's the one who told you everything."

"So what? I don't know where he is. Last thing he told me, he was in Singapore." Ben scoffs. "He orchestrated this whole thing, y'know. He told me exactly who to attack, where to attack. He even told me who everyone on Team Liberation would be, with one exception," he looks back at me, "but I figured that one on my own." He sighs. "Don't blame me, honey. I'm just doing what he told me. Follow this step-by-step guide and Team Liberation will not be able to beat us. And it's working, isn't it? Raiden told me what you did."

"Ben," Jasper interjects, "he lied."

"What?" Ben exclaims.

"I heard her thoughts. Raiden is to blame." Ben's aura literally begins to tremble, upon realising that he broke Yuuka's spirit for nothing. "Her actions when Black Flag fell were justified."

"What? What am I supposed to do now then?" Ben sighs. I feel the air suddenly lighten. Yuuka's thoughts suddenly become crystal clear to me. I exhale peacefully. She slowly walks towards Ben, stopping just a few short paces from him. "What do you want? Haven't you caused enough pain already?"

"I have," she nods. "But I'm setting that right. I won't fight you."

"Then, how are you going to claim our territory?" Ben tries to egg her on, but her face remains completely peaceful.

"My name is Yuuka Sasaki," she sighs. "I barely survived in the Satellite. As I was approaching death's door, I was saved by a woman who had lost her own family in the Zero Reverse. Everything led me to witness the formation of Team Satisfaction, the greatest duel gang to ever grace the Satellite. They had one goal, unifying the Satellite. Our existence was poor, at best. They thought, if we couldn't escape it, why not make it better? That's exactly what they did. I carry their legacy on my shoulders, I want to do the same."

"I didn't ask for your life story. Besides, how do you know this will make the City a better place? Where's your proof?"

"You've already seen it yourself. The endless cycle of hatred and revenge is nearly broken." Yuuka steps forward. "We haven't solved this through violence. We've made people see our way of thinking. This violence doesn't have to continue!" Yuuka turns her attention from Ben to Jasper. "You don't have to stay here. We can leave this all behind and move on, have a normal life, settle down. Isn't that what you want, Jasper?" Ben gasps. "Am I right?"

Jasper sighs, walking slowly to Yuuka's side. "I'm with her," he says calmly.

"Jasper, how could you?"

"You've said it yourself, Ben. You've thought about leaving for a while."

"Yes, and giving the gang to someone else! Not give it up entirely!" He screams back.

"Why would we not take this chance?" Jasper pleads. "I believe in what she's doing."

Ben looks around him. His eyes graze the rooftops. I feel auras starting to surround. I'm going to die in this stupid cage that Jasper put around us, shoved in close proximity with people I don't know very well.

"If we give up here," Ben turns to Jasper, "our own gang will attack us, beating us and someone will take our place." He starts to walk towards Yuuka. "If you can fend these off, I'll give you our territory."

"Understood."

Without a warning, Anako summons a monster to break through the cage. I don't even have time to scream. I just run towards Yuuka.

"Are you okay?" Yusei asks once he reaches her.

"I'm fine," she answers. Her thoughts are racing a mile a minute.

"Are you  _sure_?" I ask. "You didn't seem like that a minute ago."

"You doubt her." Jasper chips in an unwanted comment. "You can hear her thoughts, can't you?"

"How do you know that?" I squint back at him.

"I can hear your thoughts in her head. Not that she pays much mind to them." I just scoff.

"Yuuka?" Crow pipes up. "Your eyes… They're orange."

"It's cause she went berserk just there." Jasper explains. "I don't know if you saw it. Her entire eye, including the whites, glowed orange. Once she snapped out of it, only her iris was orange."

"It's happened before," she shrugs, "powers were a bit too much for me." So that's why the glowing seemed a bit extreme.

"It's a miracle you're still standing." Shinji tries to continue, but Yuuka glares him into submission. She presses her hand to her stab wound. I won't say anything. She'll use her new power to shut me up. She'll say that using her powers on me is fair game because I'm her brother. Unfair, if you ask me.

Yuuka comes up with a plan to fend off everyone within a matter of seconds. The battle starts and finishes quickly. The battle ends the second I feel something start to go wrong. The dragons flying over Yuuka's post disappear as soon as the battle ends. I know Yuuka, that's not something she would do.

We take turns guarding each entrance of the Daimon Area. It's early in the morning on a Sunday, so luckily, not many people are awake yet. From what I've heard, people in the Daimon Area hasn't learned not to call Security when psychics fight on their doorsteps.

It gives me time to think about things. Mostly that Yuuka is the reason that I'm a psychic. I'm still not sure how to feel. I know she didn't want me to be a psychic, it's not the most ideal situation. Since I've become a psychic, I've learned a lot of things. I've met so many people. I've grown to understand so many things. I've seen the world around me as it truly is, not perfect but in need of change. I'm no longer that privileged boy from the suburbs. For once in my life, I feel grounded in this world instead of merely looking at into the world through my bedroom window.

This is what I tell Anako when she asks me about how I feel on the matter.

Shinji comes back into the Daimon Area carrying an unconscious Yuuka. He keeps all of us back from her, except for Kenta who was with them on the other front. He calls the psychic doctor. At first I think that the blood loss is why she collapsed. But then Shinji hits the nail on the head,  _overuse of powers_. That's why he said it was a miracle that Yuuka was still standing earlier, he knew this would happen eventually, and the blood loss didn't exactly help it either. Despite everything, there's a sense of calm in the air. Then, I realise that Kenta is creating it. I knew he could do it to one person, but this many at once? Incredible. The psychic doctor, who's name is Nico, checks over Yuuka and stitches the stab wound on her abdomen. Takumi says that he'll cover the cost of his work.

"Most of the bleeding seems to have stopped," Nico says as he stands up again. "Though, she might be out for a while with all that blood loss."

"I believe congratulations is in order," Shinji begins. The atmosphere has started to lighten up a bit. Just because it was calm doesn't mean that it was pleasant.

"What do you mean?" I know we just beat the final gang, but I feel like that's not what he's talking about.

"When I was carrying her back here," Shinji gestures towards Yuuka, "she was muttering about her boyfriend." I turn to look at Yuuka. I can feel the thoughts running around her head. "I know Yuuka. That could only mean one person." My aura starts to flare, no matter how much I try to control it.

In that exact moment, Yuuka gets up on one elbow and yells in Spanish in the vague direction of the other conversation which was happening in Spanish. Then, Yuuka just lies back down on the ground.

"She said she's not going to the hospital," Nico explains.

"Didn't know she knew Spanish." Ben says, as he was part of that other conversation with Nico and Miguel.

"Me neither," Miguel adds.

"She learnt it in Duel Academy." I walk over to Yuuka on the ground. I'm surprised that no one stops me, especially Kenta who very much seems on edge. "Yuuka," I call out to her. She turns her head so it's away from me. "I know you can hear me." She rolls onto her side, so she's completely looking away from me. I can't believe she's kept that from me. After all of this.

"Yuuka, don't lay on that side. If your stab wound opens again, I swear to the gods, I'm leaving." Nico sighs.

"Yuuka, why didn't you tell you have a boyfriend?" Yuuka jumps so she's sitting up, she nearly hits my forehead with hers in the process. "Yuuka." I try putting on my sternest voice. If I don't, I doubt she'll come clean.

"I thought you might try to murder him, so I just didn't?" She looks absolutely terrified, so I guess it's working.

"She looks like she's crying." I hear Takumi whisper. Both he and Shinji are trying not to laugh. I don't get how this is a  _joke_.

"Who is it, Yuuka?" I pull her up onto her feet by the arm.

"Who do you think it is?" Yuuka pushes the hair out of her face nervously. Her forehead is gleaming with a mixture of sweat and blood.

" _Him_?" I don't even need to look at Yusei, because Yuuka does that for me. I turn to look at him, but he avoids my eyes. I was absolutely right. I should have known. I look back to Yuuka, who looks like she's about to faint or run.

"Kaoru, how'd you not know they were dating?" Shinji starts laughing.

"Dude, I don't even think he noticed that Kenta and I have been dating the entire time?" Takumi begins to howl with laughter. My grip on Yuuka loosens.

"What?" I feel like my world comes to a standstill. Not only is Takumi gay, which I was hoping and suspecting to be true. But he's already in a relationship, which I feared. Nothing can go right for me, can it? I feel like an idiot. I've told people. Looked them in the eyes and told them my biggest secret. I was in love with a guy, not just a guy, my sister's best friend. Shinji knew. And I bet Anako did too. Emotions start welling up inside me. In this moment, I can hardly tell what they are. Anger, embarrassment, betrayal? I couldn't tell you. I feel the familiar static in my hands. I look at Anako, who just shrugs at me. Shinji has stopped laughing upon realising that I didn't know. I want to say something, but my words are deserting me.

I'm snapped out of my daze by Ben surrendering his territory. We've done it. Team Liberation conquered the City. We have a group hug. It hardly feels real. All negative thoughts are pushed from my head as I think about reaching the end of that long road.

The elation feels like a balloon. But I'm noticing a trend today. Nothing can go as planned. Nothing can go right. Because Ben's phone begins to ring. Ben and Yuuka know exactly who it is.  _Raiden_.

"Yuuka!" A voice calls through the phone when it's put on speaker. It's incredibly muffled, but it's enough to make Yuuka tense. I recognise the voice that I've only heard through a wall. "Congratulations on conquering the entire City. You really surprised us all." The sarcasm is thick in his voice. "What comes next, huh?" Yuuka starts to stumble backwards. I try to stop her from falling again. "You have the entire City in your hands. What will you do to lead it? Because you're on your own now." He laughs more to himself than anything else. "Guess I'll have to come and snatch it back. Cause remember we were going to do that together? You little  _bitch_." He curses. "Until next time then, cause I'm coming for you." The line goes dead. Everyone's eyes stay on Yuuka. We wait for her to speak, do something, anything.

Her aura calms down. Not relaxed, but a cool anger. Yuuka's thoughts are crystal clear. Raiden made her into a weapon, used her for his own good. He let her win that duel, collapsed the building on top of her so she could join Team Liberation. He let her do that so he could defeat her and take the City for himself. Yuuka gathers her broken mask and the cape that was around her shoulders. She throws them on the ground. The cape billows gracefully, but the mask falls with a clatter. Shinji lands her a cigarette lighter. She catches the flame on the cloak. The fire starts small. It grows, its warmth rising into the air. In this moment, destruction lends itself to rebirth. Yuuka told me that. In order for something to be reborn, it must be destroyed. And just now, Yuuka threw her old self into the fire. Burning the last grasp of Raiden Kimura. The mask and cape were a gift from him. She used them as his weapon, his right hand man. Her face hardens. Yuuka's total rebirth is about to begin.

* * *

"So Shinji assumed you knew about Takumi and Kenta?" Emiko asks once I catch her up on everything. I left out the part about Yuuka being the reason I'm a psychic. She's apologised more times than I can count, and that was in the span of six minutes. Shinji counted at least twenty.

"Yeah, how was I supposed to know? They never said anything."

"Kaoru," she sighs. "If two guys are sharing a one-bed apartment, I would be genuinely shocked if they  _weren't_  gay."

"I didn't want to assume." I throw my hands up in defense. Emiko sighs again.

"What are we going to do about you?" She shakes her head with a smile.

"Rude," I scoff. "What's new with you?"

"Well," she begins. "Anako and I patched things up. So, we can exist on the same team and not attempt to rip each other's hair out."

"That's a start."

"Kaoru, you can't expect you to go straight from enemies to friends."

"Why did you two even hate each other anyway?"

"I don't even know," she answers, very clearly lying. "Poor Anako. Yuuka admitting she has a boyfriend, just after Anako declared her love for her."

"What's that got to do with anything?" I'm trying to link Anako liking Yuuka and Emiko hating her. Such a burning hatred always seemed out of place for Emiko. She's naturally warm and friendly to everyone. She accepted Yuuka, the first marked person she had ever seen, in the blink of an eye. She constantly comforted me when I got my powers for the first time. Why would Anako be any different to everyone else around us?

"I want someone to tell me they love me," Emiko sighs. She always asked if I liked her.

"I love you, you're my best friend." What difference would that make?

"Nice try, that's not working on me." Why would Emiko care that much about who I did or didn't like?

* * *

Takumi finally gets that celebration he was after. Even though he was the one who wanted it, Yuuka was the one who had to organise it, cater for it, and inviting everyone who ended up helping us in Team Liberation. Plus Emiko and Reika, who knew about it but decided to stay out of it. Yuuka even hosts it in the garage of Yusei's place. Like I needed more reminders that that's a thing now. Emiko arrives with Anako. She originally planned to come with me, but decided to blow me off for Anako. Is she mad at me? What could she be mad at me for? I told her as much as I could. What could I have done to her?

So, instead of hanging out with Emiko and Anako, I decide to spend time with Takumi and Shinji. After this, I get to go to Psycho for the first time. That is Takumi's wish that we go there. It was the regular place for Yuuka, Takumi and Shinji before everything happened, which seems like a lifetime ago.

"How much food did you make?" Takumi asks Yuuka as he stuffs tortilla chips into his mouth. He already has a vodka soda made for himself. He's been here for maybe five minutes. "I think you made too much." Yuuka just glares at him. She looks very stressed. I don't blame her. She's been up and down with trays of food for the last while. She's rejected all of my help.

"It's Yuuka, she always makes too food." When Shinji speaks up, I realise that too has also started drinking. "You got my lunchboxes, right?"

"You need to teach Reika how to cook, you know that?" Yuuka sighs.

"I burnt microwave popcorn yesterday. I shouldn't allowed near the kitchen." Reika butts into the conversation. Oh, so  _that's_ why Shinji's kitchen smelled like burning.

It takes Yuuka few minutes to get a drink, I notice. Even though, she probably needed one a long time ago. Takumi realises this and gets me a drink. I was hoping to avoid this. I've never probably drank alcohol. The most I've had is a sip of people's drinks at family events. They just taste like burning to me. But Takumi practically forces a vodka soda into my hand.

"It's a pre drinks, Kaoru!" Takumi tells me. "You have to drink."

"What's a pre drinks?" Takumi's face falls.

"Well," Shinji answers. "It's where you drink as much as possible before heading to a nightclub so you spend less money on expensive alcohol there because you're already tipsy or even drunk. But not too drunk that you can't get into the nightclub."

"Right…" I nod my head slowly.

What have I gotten myself into? That's the thought I have when Takumi throws his arm around my shoulders. I can smell the vodka in his breath. Is he doing this because he's drinking alcohol? Maybe. Is he doing because he's super friendly and this isn't the first time he's done this recently? Maybe. Takumi starts moving my hand so I drink the vodka soda. His hand keeps my cup tipped back so I end up taking a lot more than just a sip. My stomach immediately begins to turn and my entire throat and oesophagus starts burning. Takumi begins to start laughing, and cheers a little bit. Shinji joins in on it.

I haven't taken another sip by the time that Shinji drags Yuuka over for shots. Takumi shoves a tiny blue clear plastic cup, filled to the brim with vodka, into my hand. "One, two, three!" I follow everyone's moves and gulp back the entire cup in one go. It's a miracle that I don't throw up on the spot. Granted, I'm actively trying to keep it down.

"Baby's first shot." Shinji pats me on the back. Meanwhile, my face is so contorted by the burning in my entire body that I'm worried, for a second, that it won't return back to normal.

"Dude, seriously? How have you never had a shot?" Takumi says to me. Okay, he's tipsy.

"That's my first ever drink," I put to my regular sized cup on the table.

"Oh gods," he says, looking very overdramatic and surprised. "Why didn't you tell me? You just said this will be your first time to a nightclub."

"I didn't want to sound like a loser." I tell the truth. After being told stories of Yuuka chugging vodka straight from the bottle, I seem like an absolute baby. Granted, being compared to Yuuka in any way makes me feel like a socially awkward loser who never leaves the house. Something which was true until I got my psychic powers. Maybe the socially awkward thing is true, but only because I have anxiety about too many things.

I start drinking to cover the anxiety. Yuuka told me that alcohol makes her anxiety go away. Maybe that will help. Maybe then I will stop being hyper aware of every single time Takumi touches me. Maybe then I'll stop wishing that he didn't take his arm away from my shoulders. Maybe Yuuka is right. Drinking to get rid of your problems does seem like a valid option in this moment. I think I drink a little too much alcohol because I respond to Yuuka's thoughts while she's having a conversation with Shinji and not me, and she didn't say that thing out loud. So, I bursted in on that conversation saying something completely random, but made sense to Yuuka, and only Yuuka. Shinji takes my drink away from me, which I think is fair.

With Shinji talking to Yuuka, that leaves Takumi and I by ourselves for a few minutes. I start to think of something to say, anything, to make it less awkward.

"Team Liberation was great, wasn't it?" Good job, Kaoru. You  _really_  don't look like you're grabbing at straws here.

"Oh yeah," Takumi answers. "It's a shame that we couldn't continue it, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like taking the Team Liberation thing further." He continues. "We get back at the system that allowed gangs to get this bad. We take Team Liberation to everywhere in the world, until the world is free of gangs."

What? What does that even mean?

"I don't know," I try to formulate an answer which is hard because the alcohol is affecting my brain. "I'm still in school so I don't have the time. I'm super behind on study, so I don't know." I feel my words starting to slur a little.

"Obviously," Takumi nods. "I just mean sometime in the future."

"That could be cool," I nod, going along with what he's saying. "Gangs really suck, don't they?"

That conversation disappears as soon as Shinji turns back around to us. I don't even focus on the conversation that starts between Takumi and Shinji. I'm just thinking about what Takumi said. Was he serious? Or was that just the alcohol talking? Did Takumi just say he wanted to take over the world? That's what that meant. For Team Liberation, we took over the City. It's technically under our control, even if we don't do anything with it. Get back at the system? That's violence, isn't it? Before I realise it, Takumi has disappeared and Shinji is asking me where he went. Which makes no sense because Shinji was the one talking to him.

"Hey Yuuka, do you know where Takumi's gone?" I ask Yuuka as she walks past.

"Wasn't he with you?" She raises an eyebrow at us. My brain is so fuzzy from the alcohol that I'm surprised that I lost him.

"How do you lose Takumi, seriously?"  _Especially when he's like this_ , Yuuka finishes in her thoughts. She quickly scans the room. "Where's Kenta?"

"Well that explains that," Shinji sighs. I shake my head to physically remove the image of them kissing from my mind. I don't need that image taunting me right now. Before I do something stupid because of my alcohol soaked brain.

"Come on," Yuuka says, looking very panicked. She starts moving towards the open shutter door of the garage. It's dark outside already, something which I hadn't noticed but doesn't surprise me. The evening breeze is ever so slightly cold. I feel it cutting through my thin blue jacket. We walk up the D-Wheel ramp up into the square in front of Poppo Time.

"X-Saber Souza attacks Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Kenta just stands there as the attack hits and the duel ends. Wait a minute. Takumi and Kenta have been dueling? Why would they be doing that? Wait. Did Kenta overhear my conversation with Takumi? Does he think Takumi is being foolish too?

"What's going on?" Yuuka asks.

"Nothing," Kenta replies. He refuses to look at us. He's clearly lying, which means I must be right. Takumi says nothing, but just stares at Kenta.

"Kenta," Yuuka says with more urgency. Kenta starts looking up at the sky. I try to read Kenta's aura. But there's so much alcohol clouding my brain that I don't even feel an aura coming from him.

"Come on!" Takumi claps his hands together. "Are we going out or not?"

"I'm not going," Kenta immediately replies without missing a beat. I can't stop myself from gasping. There's trouble in paradise. I try to focus really hard on reading Kenta's aura, but I come up short again.

"Sure, I'm already tipsy, why not?" Shinji answers, trying to break the tension.

"I'm not going if Kenta's not going." Yuuka stands firm, even raising her head slightly. I think she must be able to read Kenta's aura. I'm trying to listen to her thoughts and even that is very difficult now. Takumi grits his teeth at Yuuka's response.

"What about you, Kaoru?" Takumi turns his attention to me. I can feel my face flushing.

"Uh," I keep looking between Takumi and Yuuka, "sure, I guess." Maybe I can convince Takumi out of this. As much as I want Takumi for myself, I can't bear to see Kenta like this. Maybe I can change him before it's too late.

"Look after it, will you?" Takumi takes off his duel disk and tosses it to Kenta, who catches it. He leaves without saying much of a goodbye. I turn to look at Yuuka, who raises an eyebrow at me. I can feel her asking me a question, but I can't hear it. She looks so confused. I don't want to say anything, not until I know everything. I start walking in pace with Shinji. We're silent until we catch up to Takumi. What am I getting myself into? Is Takumi really serious or is he just a little too drunk to think straight?

I'm mostly quiet on the way to Psycho, only responding to things Shinji and Takumi say. My brain is still spinning from earlier, both from Takumi's words and the vodka. The line into the club starts disorientating me. There's so many people and it's so loud. It only gets worse when I enter the true den of the psychics, Psycho. The loud music pounds and echoes throughout my entire body. It almost feels like my powers are slowly seeping out of me. The static is nearly tangible in the air. That feeling is only going to get worse as Takumi buys us all a round of Tequila shots. It takes a minute to tell me that's it's  _salt_ ,  _shot_  and then  _lime_. Not the other way around. From that point on, everything seems a little blurry around the edges.

I get to watch my first drag performance. I enjoy it until Takumi tells me that the drag queen, Phoebe Tension, is actually Ben from the Cardinal Dragons. The real reason he wasn't at the party was because he was working tonight's show. After all, I just feel a sense of anger watching the performance. Especially when Takumi sticks a small bill in their clothes. I think Takumi gets the idea when he looks at my face. He tells Shinji that he's taking to the smoking area, since I  _don't look good_. The smoking area is pretty busy, but we're able to sit down.

"You doing okay?" Takumi asks. "Is Psycho too much for you?"

"I don't know," I sigh. "I think it's just the alcohol."

"Yeah, that tequila probably pushed you over the edge." He chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine." I say. "At least I was able to have a tequila shot. Yuuka's brought them up before, and now I know what they are and how to take them."

"And that is?"

"Salt, lime, shot?"

"No."

"Salt, shot, lime?"

"There you go." We both laugh as he pats me on the back. "Hey," Takumi begins. "We haven't taken a selfie yet, and you're looking better. Wanna take one now?"

"Sure." I nod.

Takumi gets close to me.  _Very_ close to me. I start to get flustered, but I put on my best smile for the picture. Takumi looks at the photo with a fond smile. Then, both of us realise how close our faces are. Everything around us seems to fade away. It's him and me. My eyes keep darting from his eyes to his lips.  _Is he going to kiss me?_  My brain keeps repeating to itself. I notice his eyelids start to droop as he stares at my lips.

No. I can't be doing this. I pull back. Takumi's face looks shocked, but he moves away from me. Our shoulders are still grazing ever so slightly.

"Yous took a selfie without me?  _Rude_." Shinji comes back holding three drinks. "I brought Kaoru a soda since he wasn't feeling good." He hands me the only glass in his right hand. He gives one of the ones in his left to Takumi. Shinji manages to squeeze his way between us, so he's sitting in the middle.

Did that nearly just happen? Takumi looks kinda guilty. He has a  _boyfriend_  at home. I can't believe  _I_  nearly kissed him. I never thought I end up here. I'm a good person. I don't do things like that. Shinji knows that. That's why he sat between us. For the rest of the night, that's where Shinji stays. Right between us. He never leaves us alone, not even to go to the bathroom, not even to go get a drink. Not even when we leave the club. He makes Takumi go home to Kenta. He makes me sleep on the couch in his apartment because he doesn't want me disturbing my mom at four in the morning. I know why he does it. Shinji's too good to let me do something  _stupid_  like that.

* * *

I can't stop thinking about Takumi. Wait, let me rephrase that. I'm thinking about Takumi more than normal, which was already a lot, so what I'm getting at here is that I'm fucked.

"So," Takumi begins in another one of our phone conversations. "I've been thinking about what happened the other night." I'm slowly realising that I hear Takumi's voice more than I ever actually see his face.

"Which part?" The part where we nearly kissed or when he told me he wanted to take over the world?

"What I said about Team Liberation."

"Takumi," I sigh. "You're gonna have to be more specific. You definitely should not have bought me that tequila shot." I tell everyone that I was too drunk to remember most of that night, which they believe. I feel like it helps the whole  _I nearly kissed someone's boyfriend_  situation, even though I'm basically pinning the blame on Takumi.

"Well, the part about  _continuing_  Team Liberation." He sighs. "What do you think about that?"

"I mean, it's a great idea in concept." I take a deep breath. "But-"

"But?"

"But I just think it's needs a lot more planning before you could go through with something like that."

"Absolutely, I agree." I slap my hand on my face. He's not getting the point at all, is he? "But the ideals of it are more than enough reason to go through with it. Who am I if I don't follow through on my ideals? Surely, you agree about that. I know you and your ideology."

"Yeah, right." I chuckle nervously.

"Kenta's trying to talk me out of it." He continues. "He thinks I'm being selfish and power-hungry. That I'm only using the psychic community to gain power. How does that even make sense? I'm  _helping_  you guys. What am I even getting out of this?" An ego boost, the answer flies into my head but I resist the urge to say it out loud.

"I don't know," I lie. "It's great that you're helping a community like this, and you're not even a part of it."

"I've got stakes in this, even if I'm not a psychic like you guys." He sighs. "I mean there's you, Kenta, Yuuka. That's not even it. The reason I even joined gangs in the first place was to keep my sister out of gangs. I know she's my big sister and she's always looked after me, even when we were kids. But I couldn't let her, you know? I couldn't sit by and let her do that to herself. So I joined the Onyx Slicers and I helped her out of a bad place."

"That was  _you_?"

"What?"

"Shinji told me that story a long time ago, before I met you." I answer. "That story was inspiring, honestly. It's why I'm here, right now."

There's a pause, before Takumi starts chuckling.

"That's funny," he says before another pause. "You get where I'm coming from then?"

"Of course I do."

"Then I'll meet you in the park later?"

"Yeah, sure, why?"

"You'll see," is all he says before hanging up the phone.

* * *

I meet Takumi at the same gazebo where I first met him. It's just us two. I was expecting more than that, just from the way he spoke.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"I'm telling Yuuka."

"About what?" About our near kiss? About my crush? Does he know about that? I sure hope he doesn't.

"Continuing Team Liberation, of course!"

"Right," I take a deep breath. "Takumi, about that-"

"Will you back me up?" He interjects. "I've invited Kenta. I know he'll just disagree with everything I say, so I want you here to back me up."

"I don't know-"

"You don't have to say anything." He raises his hands up. "All you have to do is agree with me. Only you can do that. You're the only one who really understands where I'm coming from."

"I am?"

"Of course you are, Kaoru." He nods. "Why else would I have asked?"

"Yeah, you're right." I wave my hand awkwardly. "How do you think they'll react?"

"I think Yuuka will agree with me." He smiles. "I've always thought Yuuka as having strong morals. Why wouldn't she agree when we're doing the morally right thing?"

I can think of about five reasons, and knowing Yuuka, she'll have more.

Yuuka and Kenta arrive together. I can tell Takumi's slightly taken aback by the fact they arrived together. I'm sure Kenta has already figured out what's going on by the look he gives me. That look alone is enough to make me zone out. I miss most of the conversation by just staring at nothing in particular. I hear them talking about Raiden.

"What do you think?" Takumi turns and asks me. I glance into Yuuka's thoughts. How will we defend the territory? The thought of Raiden is still niggling in the back of my mind.

"Getting rid of Raiden is my first priority right now," I say bluntly. This takes the focus back off me.

Within a matter of moments, Yuuka sounds angry. Takumi has told her the big idea, and she hates it. I can't believe that Takumi thought she'd agree. I get where he's coming from. I know it sounds like a good idea in theory. But trying to go through with it? Impossible. Yet, I'm standing by him. Someone needs to. Someone can change his mind. I know how he thinks. He won't step down from Kenta and Yuuka screaming in his face. If anything, that will make him worse. What Takumi needs is someone to calm him down, make him see the big picture. Right now, that person is me.

Yuuka's aura begins to flare, snapping me out of my daze. "Takumi!" Her fists clench. "What are you thinking?" She moves to stand right in front of him. "You told us Cardinal Dragons was the end. You  _lied_ to us." Takumi backs away. "Unless." He gulps. "This was your plan along." Silence. Takumi refuses to meet her eyes. " _Takumi_."

"This is not your fight." Kenta joins the centre of the gazebo, leaving me to watch from the sidelines. "You are neither a psychic or a Satellite. You have no place making this decision."

"I do," Takumi says. "I am neither so I have the loudest voice. No one would listen to you otherwise."

"You're gaining power from our plight." Yuuka's entire body begins to shake. Her aura grows rapidly. Whatever Cardinal Dragons did to her only seemed to make her stronger. "You're not helping us, Takumi. You're  _using_ us. All you gain from this is power."

"That's not true!" He shouts back. "My boyfriend is a psychic. Most of friends are psychics. You're from the Satellite. I can't stand and watch all of you get mistreated anymore. I have to do  _something_."

This is where I get where he's coming from. Then I remember what he's trying to do, and then it all goes haywire.

"This is not the answer!" Yuuka gets right up in Takumi's face. His back bends back slightly, but his feet remain firm on the ground. How afraid of her is he really? "Our answer was to conquer gangs peacefully. I stand by that. If you want to cause a revolution like that, I won't have any part of it." She steps back. Takumi exhales loudly. Yuuka keeps looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Then, you're turning your back on your people." Takumi spits. "There is no revolution without force.  _Once a revolutions starts, it will never end._ "

Just because we're the ones who started doesn't mean we have to be the ones to end it.

Yuuka's aura flares up in an instant. It happens in the blink of an eye. Yuuka's fist is within a hair of Takumi's face.

"Yuuka!" Kenta shouts. He calms Yuuka's aura down. Her boiling rage has become calm and collected. I'm not sure which is more dangerous. Yuuka slowly lowers her fist. Takumi flinches. She steps back.

"You want a fight then?" Takumi asks.

"If that's the only thing that will make you come to your senses, then yes." Yuuka takes a deep breath, reading herself.

Fighting him must make sense in her head. That he'll suddenly stop. Takumi's already dueled Kenta and won, and that's exactly why we're here.

The only thing we could do is get through to Takumi. He won't listen to someone who's disagreeing with him. That's just who he is. I have to talk some sense into him. Until then, I need to bide time. Yuuka's gonna be pissed at me. She'll understand. I'll come clean to her after this. About everything.

"I won't duel you," Takumi says. "Kenta manipulating your emotions will only last so long. Once that's over, you'll use your powers to beat me to a pulp."

"Then what?" She scoffs. "Hand to hand?"

"Not that either," he shakes his head. "You're stronger than me and we both know that."

Yuuka squints at him. She gives Takumi the old look up and down. "You scared?"

"No," Takumi shakes his head. "You're thinking that there's not that big of a power gap between us, aren't you?" Takumi smiles like he knows he's right, and he is. "I imagine your aura's flaring right now, judging by Kenta. You're always stronger when you're like that."

"You're right about that," Kenta reluctantly answers.

"So, you won't fight me? That's what I'm hearing."

"That's right." Takumi turns his back on Yuuka. "Kenta already lost a duel to me. There's nothing you two can do to change my mind."

"What if we leave?" The words drip from my lips like venom. "Don't doubt me, Takumi. You know I will."

"Kenta won't." Takumi quickly turns back. There's a fire in his eyes. I freeze. I know why Yuuka is so angry. In that moment, it's as if Raiden manifests through Takumi. "I can just find someone to replace you."

"You're wrong," Kenta stands by Yuuka's side. "You won't find anyone out there like us.  _Move on_."

"Kenta." Takumi mutters, eyes wide.

"Kaoru." Yuuka turns her attention to me. "Join us. Don't let him convince you that this is a good idea." I can't bring myself to look her in the eyes. I can't say anything. Tell her that I don't agree with him, and then no one will be able to stop Takumi. Tell her that I agree with Takumi, and then I know for a fact that Yuuka will never talk to me again. " _Kaoru_." Her voice is starting to strain.

I can feel her trying to mentally talk to me.  _Why won't you say anything? Are you siding with him? Why? Kaoru, please answer me._  I decide to look out over the lake, instead of at the ground. I feel her trying to make eye contact with me, so I just close my eyes.

"Kaoru!" Kenta joins in.

It's better for everyone if I say nothing.

"I see how it is." Yuuka's fists clench. Her aura flares again. It's shifting. It's becoming darker. Her thoughts are practically bashing against my head.

She hates me now. I'm just someone betraying her for someone who's just like Raiden. I want to tell her everything but I just  _can't_. Once I convince Takumi to stop all this, maybe then she'll forgive me. Considering I don't have any sort of shot right now.

"See Yuuka," Takumi shakes his head, "Kaoru can see the sense in what I'm saying, isn't that right?"

I don't answer Takumi. Everyone's eyes are on me. I wonder what they think. Yuuka hates me now. I know that. Kenta probably knows  _why_  I'm siding with Takumi, but not my goal. Takumi probably just thinks that I'm not saying anything because he told me that I didn't have to.

"He's not taking a side." Kenta says, sighing. He's wrong. I'm not taking Takumi's side. I'm taking  _theirs_. They just don't know it yet.

"But Yuuka…" Takumi trails off. He looks outside of the gazebo, just past Yuuka's head. "If you're not with me, you're against me. You do realise that?"

"If you're sacrificing our friendship because I won't follow you, then so be it." Yuuka's glare becomes more intense. I'm sure if Takumi had an aura, he'd be keeled over, coughing up blood. Takumi merely raises his eyebrows at her.

"Then, I guess this is it." Takumi walks right past her. He stops on the bottom step of the gazebo. "You're on your own now, Yuuka. I hope you realise that." I shiver. Didn't Raiden say something just like that? Takumi's gaze moves to me. "Come on. We're done here."

I push myself off the pillar with my foot. I slowly walk out of the gazebo. I let my shoulder graze Yuuka's, as if that gesture would suddenly let everything make sense to her. But it doesn't. Yuuka gasps. She follows me down the steps.

"Kaoru. You've  _betrayed_ me." She shouts after me. I can't bring myself to turn back. Her words feel like liquid venom coming from her lips. "I hope you know that. You're going against everything we've fought for. You're going against  _me_." My eyes start to burn with tears. I feel the thoughts going through Yuuka's head. All the memories that we've had in only a few short months. _I thought he cared for me. I really thought he did. I guess I was wrong._  Those words stab like a knife in my heart. "I just wish I had let you  _rot_. Turned you away when you needed help. Because that's what you had done to me." I glance back. I can see her eyes shining at me in the dusk light. I thought she'd look angry. But no, she's  _heart broken_. I keep walking. I don't look back again. I take a deep breath. I need to sever our mental connection. I can't live with the fact that Yuuka thinks I betrayed her. I'm doing this for the both of us. It's better that I wait. It will all make sense in time. I feel the connection snap. For the first time in a long time, my mind is completely quiet.

* * *

I can't bear the thought of going home, just in case Yuuka's there. Although, she probably went running straight into Yusei's arms. Luckily, Takumi doesn't want to go home either. We end up spending the entire night in a twenty-four hour Burger Queen in the heart of the City. We end up spending way too much to make the staff left us stay there. We talk for most of the night. I try to keep the topic of conversation away from Team Liberation in any way, shape or form. We end up talking about our childhoods, continuing from our conversation yesterday about our sisters. Then, at about six in the morning, I realise something.

"Today's the start of the WRGP."

"Did you forget?"

"Takumi, my team is the first team to duel in the entire tournament. My duel is in four hours."

"Why the fuck are you here then?" Go home and change."

"Right, right, right."

I pick Takumi up on my D-Wheel about three hours later and we head for the Horizon Ring Sadium together. I'm wearing the riding clothes that Yuuka made for me, well, for  _all_ of Team Delta. A red riding jacket with black accents and orange pads. Then, she made black pants with a red stripe going down the side. I can feel Takumi staring at me. Why did Yuuka make this outfit so tight? I leave Takumi in the lobby of the stadium before heading down to the pits with my D-Wheel.

Only Shinji and Reika are there. Reika's typing on the computer so fast that she doesn't even acknowledge my presence. Shinji's sitting beside her, just watching. He says hi to me, but not much more after that. Emiko and Anako arrive not too long after me.

"Where's Yuuka sitting?" Emiko asks after greeting, and getting a bigger reaction from Shinji and Reika.

"She's not coming," Shinji shoots a glare at me. The tension in the pits immediately sky rockets. I feel Emiko and Anako's gaze shift between Shinji and I.

"Why is she not?" Emiko prods. Her gaze focuses on me.

"Turns out Takumi only started to Team Liberation to basically take over the world." Shinji slams his bottle of water on the desk. "And Kaoru sided with him over Yuuka."

"We're here to duel, so can we just-" I try to change the topic but Shinji cuts me off.

"You betrayed your sister, and she had a panic attack so bad that Yusei almost brought her to the hospital."

I feel my spirit deflate instantly. Did I really do that? Oh gods, I can't believe it. Everyone stares at me in shock. I'm a terrible brother,  _I know_. They should just say it outloud so we can get over this.

"Kaoru, what the fuck?" Emiko's voice goes up on octave. Everyone begins talking and yelling at once. I can't even make out what everyone is saying. Except Anako. She remains silent. I look to her for help, but she just shakes her head. Oh. I've really fucked up now.

Our opponent, Team Small Field, comes over to our pit to wish us a good game. I notice that their Japanese is actually quite good, despite their thick Indian accents. We get up to shake their hands and wish them the same.

That shuts everyone up again. Our opponent heard us arguing just before our match, they probably feel like they're in a good position right now. At least that takes the heat off me.

"Okay, let's just put that behind us for now." Anako sighs, taking the seat Shinji vacated to greet the other team. "Kaoru, you're first out so you should be getting ready."

The only sound in our pit is Shinji and Emiko's whispering, and Reika's fingers typing furiously on the keyboard. I stand by my D-Wheel, running my hand over its smooth black exterior. The Saudade hasn't failed me yet. I wish Yuuka could be here to watch this. If everything goes right, I could be one step closer to going pro. At least Takumi gets to see this, I think to myself. Even though, I wish Yuuka were in the audience instead.

"It's almost time for this featured battle!" The MC's voice booms over the sound system. Since this is a lower profile match, we don't get the main MC of the tournament, but someone who is less entertaining. "The crews have returned to their pits, so the duel is about to begin!"

I drive my D-Wheel to the start line without saying goodbye to anyone, not that they say anything to me first. Team Small Field's first rider is already there, waiting for me. He tries to talk to me, but I just wish this duel was over already.

"Speed World 2, set!"

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC's voice shouts. The scream of the crowd is deafening. It gives me the adrenaline I need to shoot forward, starting the race to the first corner. "Both start simultaneously!"

I don't focus on anything else but the wind blowing in my face as I head for the first corner. This is it. The first match of the tournament. And I'm the one starting it. You know what? If Yuuka isn't going to come to my match, I'll give her a reason to watch it.

"Team Delta takes the first turn!" I grin as I look at my starting hand. This is a great starting hand if I ever saw one.

" _Holy dragon, arise and fill the world with light! Bring this world of darkness to an end! Synchro Summon! Descend, Light End Dragon!_ "

The crowd roars as I Synchro on the first turn of the tournament. I make quick work of the first rider once Light End is on the field. I count.  _Five_  turns. I feel like that's a record. The adrenaline coursing around my system skyrockets. I'm starting to get giddy from the crowd's cheers.

The second rider comes out, but he isn't much of a hassle. The crowd keeps screaming my name. I pull off a risky strategy to take down the second rider in  _four_  turns. The crowd loses its damn mind.

"Team Delta's Kaoru Sasaki has defeated  _two_  of Team Small Field's three riders! Can he make this a clean sweep in the first duel of the tournament? Can Team Small Field's ace take Team Delta down?"

I check my life points. I'm standing at 2400. Impressive considering I've dealt 8000 points of damage and I haven't even summoned Judgement Dragon yet.

The final rider comes out onto the track. She's quite tough if her bio is to be believed. The roaring of the crowd gets to my head, so she's able to bring me down to 1100. I take a deep breath. I can do this. I draw my next card. I'm about to win this duel. I'm about to beat three duelists in a row, only taking 2900 in total. It doesn't feel real.

" _Banish the shadows with the brightest of light and cast judgment upon your enemies! Special Summon! Appear, Judgment Dragon!_ "

If I thought the crowd was loud before, now I'm completely deafened. It feels good to summon my ace. The power surges through me, but it doesn't manifest. A soft light emanates from it.

"Now, I activate Judgement Dragon's effect, by paying 1000 life points, I can destroy every card on the field besides Judgement Dragon.  _Judgement Day_!"

The crowd screams again. They know what's coming next.

"Judgement Dragon attacks you directly!  _Judgement Burst_!"

The crowd screams my name as I drive back into the pit. "Oh!" The MC screams over the sound system, but I can barely hear him over the crowd. "Kaoru Sasaki has taken out all three opponents in quick succession! The World Riding Duel Grand Prix is off to a flying start!"

Shinji and Emiko cheer as I enter the pit. I'm not even off my D-Wheel by the time they throw themselves on me. I can't hear the words they're saying to me because they keep speaking over each other. I thank them regardless.

"Did I do good?" I look straight at Anako, who's not even smiling.

"I mean-" She pauses. "I guess, you did. You won the match after all." There's no enthusiasm in her voice, which feels like a stab to the heart.

"Yeah, that's true." I nod and look away. I can't bear to even look at her when she's  _this_  angry at me. First Yuuka, now Anako. I can't afford to lose the both of them. At least Reika congratulates me without me having to ask. I just defeated three riders by myself. I just want some acknowledgement. If I don't get it from my friends, I'm not going to get it from anywhere else.

Our leaving is very delayed because every single member of the press wanted an interview with me. Only me. After the fifth or so interview, Anako drags me away from the rest of the press.

We made a deal with Yuuka that we'd go to the first Team 5D's match, and she'd go to the first Team Delta match. All of us are confused as to what to do next, since I  _turned into a butthole_ , Anako's words. We decide to go anyway, since it will be a good duel regardless.

By the time we change clothes, grab lunch, and arrive at the Memorial Circuit, the match is about to start. I haven't been able to talk to Takumi at all, which is making me nervous. I know he's watching the match too. I know there's an empty seat beside him. I know he wanted to bring Kenta but they're not on good terms right now. I wonder if they're going to break up. I feel like that would be my fault. I want to check my phone. But then everyone would realise that I'm talking to Takumi. Anako would probably beat me up. I know she's angry for the exact same reason that Yuuka is. Picking someone who's acting like Raiden over her. Oh gods. What is wrong with me?

I try to focus on the duel. Jack Atlas goes first, but his power deck quickly loses to Andore, Team Unicorn's lead, who just happens to use an anti-power deck. He crashes but he manages to push his D-Wheel before their team's Speed Counters reach 0. Aki is up next, she fairs slightly better against Andore. She summons Stardust Dragon, sacrificing herself so Yusei could start with his ace monster on the field. The most shocking moment of the tournament so far, the MC says as Yusei rolls out. I'm right here, MC. Right here.

In the chaos that ensues in that moment, I check my phone. Takumi's just asked me to meet him in the lobby. "I'm going to get a drink." I stand up and excuse myself. I practically run to the lobby. No one seems to question me. Except Emiko who glares at me. I think she saw me check my phone and run.

Takumi's waiting with a coffee when I reach him. He stands up and hugs him. It takes all of me not to puke and faint on the spot, in that order.

"Well done, dude." He laughs. "I've never seen anything that impressive, and we've conquered the City together."

"Well," I can't see my face but I imagine it's bright red, just from the heat alone. "I tried my best."

"And it worked! You should do that again next time."

"I don't know what the team will be next time." I shrug my shoulders. "One person has to sit out every match, and I have a feeling that will be me next time cause no one else got to duel."

"That Judgement Dragon summon was  _sick_." He cackles. "You should have seen the look on her face."

I freeze. I feel something strange in the air. I look around me. The lobby is empty. Takumi sees the look on my face. He goes to ask me what's wrong, but I just shake my head, keeping him quiet. I can vaguely feel Yuuka's thoughts reaching out. Then, the sensation just… vanishes.

"What was that?" Takumi asks.

I don't have time to answer before Yuuka is wheeled on a stretcher past us into the medical centre, completely unconscious. There's only so many times you can see your sister on a stretcher before your brain starts going into a routine. So, I start to panic, but Takumi holds my hand and drags me inside. The nurses see the clear resemblance between Yuuka and I, so they let me stay with her. Jack Atlas is leaving the infirmary, clearly injured from his crash. He glares at me. I get a shiver down my spine. I tell Takumi to go outside and get water. What is she going to say when she wakes up? Should I just come clean now? When will I see her again after this?

Yuuka's body shifts. Her aura comes alive again. She jumps up, as if from a nightmare.

"You're awake then?" I ask. Yuuka's entire body freezes before her eyes narrow.

"What are you doing here?" She grits her teeth, face crumpled in anger. Oh boy.

"I'm your brother. I see you being brought here, of course I'm going to be here."

"Yeah, but you betrayed me remember?" Her eyebrows furrow. "What if I don't want you here?" Yikes, that really hurts.

"Hey Kaoru, I-" Takumi walks in at about the worst possible moment as I contemplate my entire existence up until this exact moment. Yuuka's glare is enough to stop Takumi dead in his tracks.

"What's  _he_ doing here?"

"That doesn't matter." I try to answer but I feel like I'm only digging myself a deeper hole.

"Here I got you some water, cause you fainted." Takumi holds out the water bottle for Yuuka to take. She just stares at it.

"I don't want it."

"Yuuka." I say her name through gritted teeth. I'm not expecting her to drink it. Just take the bottle from his hand.

"He could have poisoned it for all I know."

"He wouldn't  _poison_ it." It takes all me not to scream. Then I remember that she's probably more angry at me than Takumi right now.

"Dude, the bottle is still sealed." Takumi huffs, putting the bottle beside me on the bed.

"Still don't trust him." Yuuka looks away from us, crossing her arms. "If you're not with me, you're against me and all that."

"Team 5D's duel just ended." Takumi says. "Thought you'd like to know." Yuuka is dead silent. It doesn't even look like she's breathing. "Yusei manage to defeat all three wheelers on his own. I'd say it was impressive if your brother hadn't already done that today." That silence is the most painful. "Aren't you proud of him?"

"Leave her alone, Takumi." Emiko barges into the infirmary, her heels clacking very loudly on the floor. I notice Anako trailing behind her, looking very uncomfortable. "Can't you see that she looks uncomfortable?"

"She always look like that." Takumi raises an eyebrow at her while frowning. Isn't he supposed to be her best-  _former_  best friend? Yuuka looks pissed off and uncomfortable as  _hell_.

"No, I know Yuuka, and that's not her normal face." In any other situation, I'd find Emiko being in Takumi's face while he looks positively spooked by the very tiny Emiko, even when she's in tall heels. "You're up to something, I know it." She brings up her finger up, as if to point at him but missing his face by a lot. Up to something? She knows what he's been doing.

"Kaoru's face makes that obvious." Anako stares right at me. Her crimson eyes gazing straight into my soul. I only want to apologise. I don't know what Takumi wants to do.

"You keep that Team Liberation thing from me." Emiko turns her anger onto me. Something I've never experienced before. Her face is turning redder by the second. "And now this?"

"It's nothing," I say. I just want some peace and quiet to apologise.

"Where's Jack?" Yuuka pipes up, changing topic completely. "He should have been here."

"He left a few minutes before you woke up. He knows you're here so I suspect someone will come for you." I answer.

Yuuka doesn't even look at me. Oh, she really doesn't want anything to do with me. Takumi tries to talk but I tell him to shut up before he even gets a word out. The only noise, aside from the nurses chattering, is Anako whispering to Emiko who still looks furious. I need to add Emiko on the list of people to talk to. I think I need to talk to everyone I know at this point. A member of staff comes over to ask Yuuka a few questions. They figure out that she just fainted, and that she's free to go, with the usual advice to rest and drink lots of fluids.

"Why did you faint anyway?" I glance at her from the side of my eyes. Just so I avoid looking at her directly and hurting myself even more.

"Just as said, I haven't eaten today."

"That's a lie." I stare at her face intently. Does she not think that I know her well enough that I can tell when she's lying to my face?

"You wouldn't know that already?" Yusei walks into the room. Time to add another person onto my list. Seriously, even Yusei and Jack? I might as well add Crow and Izayoi at this point. "You read her thoughts often enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I sneer back at him.

"The only reason you're here in the first place is because you read her thoughts." I say nothing. I don't have to keep defending myself. I'm tired and I just want to leave. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face after what you did." Yusei's eyes dart to Takumi just for a split second. I'm getting the impression that he knows even more than Yuuka, which is impossible. My eyes widen. "Come on, Yuuka, we're leaving." Yusei turns around and starts to walk away. Yuuka gets up, sighing.

"You better watch out, Fudo." Takumi says, having to get one last jab in. In this moment, even  _I'm_  angry at Takumi. "Team Delta's going to destroy you in the finals. You're not the only person to defeat an entire team by themselves" He tries taunting Yusei, but it doesn't work. I don't even know if someone could do that.

"Then, I guess we'll just defeat you too." I'm actually taken aback by how casually Yusei says this as he walks out the door. I just stand there, eyes wide. Yuuka looks so damn pleased with herself as she leaves.

"Gods, that was smooth." Emiko chuckles. "But, you-" she turns to look at Takumi and I, "you two need to stay away from her. Or you'll have to deal with us." She scoffs and walks out the door. Anako lingers for a second. I try to say something, but she just shakes her head and follows Emiko out the door.

* * *

I just go home after that tiring exchange. Luckily, Kenta has called Takumi home, which saves any awkwardness. My mom, who was at both matches today, practically smothers me when I get home. I try to act all humble during her praise. But it's nice to hear some genuine praise that isn't from Takumi, who has never said anything negative about me, or most things, ever.

**Takumi:**   _Kenta just broke up with me_

**Kaoru:**   _OMG, are you okay?_

**Takumi:**   _I'll be fine_

**Takumi:**   _Can you come over? I don't think I can be alone right now_

As I start to get ready, Kenta arrives at the house looking very upset. He doesn't even look at me. Oh, he really knows that I like Takumi. I'm starting to feel like the villain in this story. Did I really just break up this relationship? I know Takumi told me that the relationship was going down the crapper anyway. But still, I know that I played some part in this. I already know this is going to haunt me. A few minutes later, Yuuka arrives, still looking very pissed off and pale.

I leave there and then to avoid it. I don't want us to fight in front of our mom. I can't do that to her. Well, both of them. I deserve the  _Shittiest Brother of the Year_  award, and everyone knows that.

I arrive at Takumi's after taking the long way. I feel sudden butterflies in my stomach. I know my brain is just doing that because it knows that Takumi is newly single. I can't do this. I can't do anything. I don't want to be the guy who takes advantage of someone in their most vulnerable state. That's not who I am. I  _never_  want to be that person.

I hesitate before knocking on the door. The butterflies come back, and this time they're stronger. I take a deep breath. I notice that my hands are shaking again. The helmet trembles in my hands. I remember watching Yuuka's helmet shake. I placed my hand on top of it, and steadied it for her. How did I fuck up things that badly that she won't return the gesture? I shake my head and finally knock on the door.

Takumi opens the door, but doesn't say much. He sits back down on the couch, I can tell that by the dip in the fabric. I sit down on the opposite end of the couch.

"How are you holding up?" I ask.

"You know," he rubs the back of his neck. "Not great."

"Yeah, that was a stupid question…"

"Hey, at least you cared enough to ask."

"Can I ask you something?" Takumi nods. "Why did you two…"

"The Team Liberation thing." He sighs. "We've been fighting for months now. I think we'd run our course together."

"I mean-"

"That doesn't mean I feel like shit though." He rubs his hands on his face. "I'd spent nearly two years with him, it's been my only  _serious_ relationship. I just don't know what to do with my life now."

"So it was just Team Liberation stuff?"

"I suppose so?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Unless there's something else he didn't tell me." That makes me feel slightly relieved in a sick way. At least Kenta isn't blaming me directly.

There's a long pause. An idea forms in my head. "Hey, can I ask that you put the Liberation stuff on hold until the WRGP is over?" Nice. That gives me time to plan a way to talk him out of it. Besides, who knows what he'll do when he's this upset?

"Oh, of course." Takumi says. "You're gonna be so busy. Especially with all of your fans."

"Fans?" I echo.

"Dude, have you not checked social media since your match ended?"

"No, not that I can remember."

Takumi gets out his phone and types a bunch. He hands me his phone, open on Tweeter. I scroll through the tag of my name. There are so many photos of me dueling. Lots of heart emojis, heart eye emojis, and gods forbid… eggplant emojis.

"Looks like someone's a heart throb."

"Oh my gods…" I mutter to myself while scrolling through. Then I notice Emiko's Tweeter account with heart eye emojis captioning a picture of me summoning Judgement Dragon. Nothing except heart eye emojis. I'll let my mind think about the implications of that later.

"But also," Takumi chuckles, "it looks like someone has a huge gay fanbase. Not that I'm surprised."

"Yeah, apparently you're able to tell when someone's…" I stop myself short of finishing that sentence.

"When someone's…" Takumi prods me to continue.

"You know…" I nod slowly. "When someone else is," I pause, "gay." I manage to croak out.

"Yeah, it's called gaydar." Takumi rolls his eyes. "That's what it's there for."

I narrow my eyes at Takumi. No reaction to me basically coming out to him. Everyone has always reacted with strong emotions and a sense of relief. Meanwhile, Takumi is cracking a joke.

"Are you gonna act surprised?" I ask, not beating around the bush.

"What? That you're gay?" Takumi raises an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, I was expecting some sort of a reaction."

"Isn't that public knowledge at this point?"

" _No_!" I exclaim. "Yuuka doesn't even know."

"Dude, your sister is fucking stupid."

"Only four people know." Takumi's face falls at my words. His mouth goes slightly ajar. "I only found out not that long ago."

"Huh," is all he says.

"So, yeah, I'm sorry if I came off a little defensive. I'm still working up to tell Yuuka, even if she might never talk to me again."

"It's Yuuka, she'll come around." He waves his hand. "Unless you're Raiden, she'll forgive you eventually."

"Is that why you're not too bothered about her being angry at you?"

"Of course!"

I sigh, resting my head in my hands. I take a deep breath.

"Here's the thing, I don't think she will." I sigh again. "I've hear her thoughts. She wants  _nothing_ to do with me. I'm not sure she'll ever come around to the idea of even talking to me. Yeah, I broke my own sister's heart. That's not supposed to happen. I'm supposed to kick her boyfriend's ass after he hurts her. Now Yusei wants to kick  _my_ ass."

"Don't worry about it," Takumi scoffs. "Listen, if it means that much to you, I'll talk to Yuuka. I'll tell her everything was my fault. That I just talked you into it. No harm done."

"You'd do that?" I mutter. I notice now that Takumi and I have moved a lot closer to each other on the couch.

"Of course, I would. I care about you, a lot."

"Right…" I stare right into his eyes. They're such a warm brown, they're so inviting. Whoever said brown eyes are boring has clearly never looked in Takumi's eyes. They're a light chocolate brown with specks of honey running through them, not that you'd notice it until you're this close to them.

I get butterflies in my stomach. Are we about to kiss? We're just as close as we were in Psycho that night. There's no one here to interrupt us. Does he want to? Takumi bites his lip.

Wait, I can't do this.

I lean back into the sofa. Takumi clearly looks disappointed. As much as I want to kiss him,  _believe me_ , I can't do this. He's too vulnerable. The breakup with Kenta is too fresh in his mind. If he kisses me right here and now, I'm only just a rebound. He'd just be kissing me for the sake of kissing  _someone_. I can't do that to myself, or Takumi. So I just sit back and change the topic of conversation, just like everything we get too close.

* * *

Things remain awkward between Takumi and I. Our next match in the WRGP arrives quickly. Our next opponent is Team Mantis, a band of martial artists from the looks of it. Today's rotation is Shinji, Anako and then Emiko. Since I  _hogged_  all of the glory last time, Anako's words, this means I get to sit out this match. Shinji defeats the first opponent but loses within two turns to the next one. Anako takes out the second rider, but loses after a long duel with the third. Emiko, the little spitfire that she is, takes out the last rider in her first turn. Not that he had that many life points left.

Emiko lets out a huge scream, once she gets back into the pit. The first thing she does is nearly tackle Anako to the ground in a hug. Shinji joins in, lifting them the both of them off the ground. I see Reika sneak her way into the middle of the group hug.

I don't feel it in me to join in on the hug. I feel like I don't deserve it. Sure I didn't play in the match, but that's not it. There's still a niggling feeling inside of me. I'm betraying everyone and I don't deserve anything. Maybe that's why the thought of kissing Takumi while Yuuka's still mad at me just feels like I'm rubbing salt in her wound that's already deep enough.

I have to work my way up to telling Yuuka about everything, just like the whole crush on Takumi thing. Anako might be the most understanding, so I tell her first.

**Kaoru:** _Since you won't look at me, I'm just going to text you. Not that I expect you to respond. I know what I did was wrong, but just hear me out. Takumi's idea won't work, I know that. It's bad and he's just turning into Raiden, I know that. But maybe, just maybe, I could stop him somehow. Make him see that he's wrong. He's in an emotionally vulnerable place right now. Kenta left him because of this whole Team Liberation thing. Maybe that will make him see the truth. I'm sorry, just please talk to me again._

**Anako:** _k_

Well, that went exactly the way I expected it to, horribly.

The day after the Team Mantis match, a hoard of duelbots started attacking Riding Duelists. They caused a lot of destruction, and even caused a power outage. Yuuka's thoughts are abnormally sparse during the whole ideal. The tournament has been delayed for two weeks. Only the top team in each block progresses to the finals, instead of top two. By some stroke of luck, our team was top of our block.

_Team Delta progresses to the finals._

It takes a minute for that to register in my brain as I read the news article. Emiko calls me just to scream down the phone. She tells me that she was the last person she had to call on the team. Something that fills me with both jealousy and melancholy.

The Finals, I keep repeating to myself. This can't be real. Could I actually be doing something right for once in my life? No, not completely. I decide to pay Yuuka a visit. I'll just say I'm congratulating Team 5D's on making the Finals too, that should work. Harmless visit. Right. Where Jack Atlas, Crow, and Yusei  _definitely_  won't kick my ass.

"Hey Yusei." I wave awkwardly when he opens the door of Poppo Time.

"Yuuka's not home." He says immediately. "Actually, no else is."

"I can talk to you," I nod nervously. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I have my reasons,  _believe me_."

"Kaoru," Yusei sighs. "Going along with someone's righteous but very wrong ideals just because you like them never works out."

"How would  _you_ know about that?"

"Has Yuuka ever told you about our friend Kiryu?" Yusei takes a deep breath. He doesn't seem angry at all. I'm starting to think his anger in the infirmary was because of Takumi, not me. Or maybe just putting on a brave face for Yuuka, who clearly wasn't handling our interaction well.

"Oh," I gasp in realisation.

"I think you should talk to Yuuka."

"Do you know when she'll be home?"

"Well," Yusei's eyes widen. "She's been super busy, for like, a week now. But check back in a few days, she might be free then."

"Busy?" I echo. "Doing what?"

"Uh, stuff. She didn't really give me any details." Yusei's aura is becoming steadily more panicked. "I'll see you later, Kaoru. Goodbye." Yusei closes the door very abruptly, leaving me outside and very much alone.

The first duel of the WRGP Finals, against Team Black Baron, comes around quicker than anticipated.

Anako gets to sit this match out, much to her disdain. Even though it's been made clear that all of us have to sit out at least once. I just feel sorry for whoever gets to sit out in the Grand Final. The thought of the Grand Final gives me the shivers. It's only two duels away. We only have to win three duels to win the entire tournament. It feels so real that I can almost grasp it. I can imagine how that trophy will feel in my hands. Something that can prove I can do the right thing. Since no one seems to believe that I can anymore.

Shinji defeats the first rider and loses to the second, just like last time. Emiko goes out and utterly destroys the remaining two.

Team Delta's odds of winning have greatly increased with every match. Coming into the quarterfinals, we were fourth out of eight. Now, there's only four people in the competition. As much as I want to, I try not to think about victory. The more I hype myself up, the more it will hurt when I inevitably fail, like I always do.

Yusei told me to come back in a few days. I'm buzzing on the high of victory. Yuuka's thoughts are becoming stronger. I'm trying to keep the connection severed, but Yuuka is just simply too strong for that. I don't even think she knows how strong she really is.

"I'm going to tell Yuuka," I tell Anako as we leave the stadium. "I think it's time."

I make a quick stop at Takumi's before heading to Poppo Time. Takumi seems excited to have me over, well, more than normal. In the two and a half weeks since breaking up with Kenta, he seems to be doing better. This takes a little weight off my shoulders. This awkwardness that was between us for a while is slowly starting to fade away.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing better," he nods. "That was a great duel today." Takumi has attended every single one of Team Delta's duels, even if I wasn't on the roster. I'm not sure where he's getting this money from, but I don't question it. I assume it's a gang thing. "That Emiko sure is something, isn't she?"

"Yeah," I hum. "She's planning on going pro."

"That's not surprising." His eyebrows raise. "She's definitely good enough for that." His attention quickly turns to me. "When are you dueling next?"

"The next duel, hopefully." I answer. "We're dueling Team New World. It's a little scary but I'm sure they're nothing we can't handle."

"You're the best." He pats me on the back. "I've even placed a bet that Team Delta are going to win. I'm counting on you."

"Why did you tell me that?" I feel the anxiety bubbling up in my stomach.

"Because I believe in you."

Everything freezes. Takumi's eyes widen as he sees my surprised face. Then, I notice how close our faces are again.

"You believe in me?" I echo.

"Of course I do," he whispers.

"And you care about me?"

"You know I do."

"More than anyone else?"

There's a pause. I feel static in the air, not just in my hands. I can't believe the words that just came out of my mouth. I need to hear him say it. I know what that answer is. I need to hear those words.

But Takumi doesn't say anything.

Takumi leans in. Our lips brush ever so gently before he pulls back. He's smiling. For once, he's not grinning. His eyes are practically glowing.

"I do."

I bite my lip, desperately praying to myself to say some words. There's a pause. Both of us are still smiling at least.

"So, um…" I begin. "That was nice."

"It was," he says softly, "wasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah." I nod slowly.

"Wait a minute," Takumi's eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Didn't you say that you've never…"

"Yes," I answer nervously. Takumi's eyes go from narrow to wide open in a split second. I just stare at my hands instead of at his face.

"That was your first kiss?" Takumi seems to have instantly ascended to cloud nine. I nod slowly. "But, wait a minute…" Now my eyes widen. "Didn't you say that you only realised that you're gay recently?" I nod again. "So, that must mean that  _I_ …" There's a pause. "Oh my gods,  _I'm_  the reason that you realised you're gay." I don't say anything. "Am I right?"

"You're not  _wrong_."

Takumi literally gets off the sofa and walks around the room with his arms in the air. I feel myself getting more and more flushed by the second. At least this is Takumi's reaction to finding out that I like him. It could have gone a lot worse. Not that this is the ideal reaction though.

What's surprising to me is that we don't kiss again. I was half expecting it. I just thought that's what you did. Are we dating now? We know that we like each other. Then, we kissed. What does this all mean? Who can I ask about this without feeling embarrassed? My only answer is Yuuka. I have to tell her. And I have to do it now.


	11. In The Name of Love III

_Kaoru_

* * *

Turns out that  _telling Yuuka now about everything_  meant the next morning after staying over at Takumi's. His couch is surprisingly comfy to sleep on.

By the time I arrive at Poppo Time, my hands are practically vibrating. I knock on the door. None answers or moves for a few seconds. The auras of everyone inside are just confused, probably because everyone is already there.

Crow opens the door, his face falls once he sees that it's me. "Yuuka, you deal with this." He walks away from the door, leaving the door wide open.

"What do you want, Kaoru?" I hear Yuuka calling from inside. I exhale and step just far enough inside that everyone can see but I still don't feel like I'm intruding  _too_  much. I notice that everyone is in their WRGP uniforms. I should have thought this through. I should have come over last night.

"I need your help."

"Oh, do you now?" Yuuka crosses her arms and scowls at me.

"I fucked up." I'm sure there's some kind of law out there that you don't kiss your sibling's friend, at least without telling them first.

"I'd say it's too late for that." I feel the venom in her words.

"Yuuka," I plead.

"I'm busy," she points to her D-Wheel. "We got a match today, in case you didn't know."

"Yuuka, we  _really_  need to talk." I don't care if it's after the match. I need to just get her to talk to me  _today_.

"I don't care," her eyes narrow. "Maybe you shouldn't have stabbed me in the back."

"Yuuka." It's not me who says her name, but Yusei. Yuuka's head whips around furiously. Parts of her hair fly into her face.

"Are you really on his side?"

"I think he needs you more than you're needed here." Yusei pats Yuuka on the shoulder. Is he really helping me?

"Excuse me?" Yuuka's eyebrows raise so far that her bangs nearly conceal them entirely. "Unless you know what he did." He couldn't possibly. Oh gods. Yusei meets my eyes. He's completely calm, and so is his aura. It's enough to calm me down. Yuuka's eyes move to Yusei, and then she groans. "Fine. I'm not doing this willingly, may I just say."

"We know, don't worry." Yusei comments rather sarcastically. Yuuka wishes the rest of Team 5D's good luck before getting on her D-Wheel and leaving.

We decide to go back home, since I know we'll have some privacy there. The ride over is silent. It remains silent until we're in the garage.

"Maybe we should talk upstairs." I finally say something after taking my helmet off. "Cause y'know."  _Just in case mom comes home_. I don't have to finish that sentence.

"Okay, my room, cause your room smells like boy and I don't like it."

"That's cool." I don't really care, and I suppose Yuuka would feel more comfortable that way. And she could kick me out of her room if she wants to after I've told her everything.

"C'mon," she says, walking out of the garage and up the stairs. The house is completely silent, which is good for us. I close the door once I enter Yuuka's room, just in case. I take a seat on the bed beside her. I normally sit on the chair next to her sewing machine. But this way, I have an excuse not to look her in the eyes.

"Now, how did you fuck up this time?" She finally asks.

It takes me by surprise. I bit my lips. I didn't think Yuuka would agree so soon, thanks Yusei. So, I'm very much unprepared for this. My hands start to shake as I gather my thoughts. I try taking deep breaths, but I only manage short puffs.

"Take your time," she says calmly. Now, I'm caught off guard again. My brain suddenly goes into full panic mode. A look of shock sweeps over Yuuka's face. _This is a "mistake that can't be erased" kind of wrong._  Her thoughts are completely correct. Takumi has brought up the kiss since it happened. I need to get on with it. Just say it, I tell myself.

"I kissed Takumi." I snap my eyes shut, just so I don't have to look at Yuuka's face.

"Wait, what?" There's a pause, as Yuuka clearly takes the time to process the information. "You kissed Takumi?" She echoes.

"Yes," I nod slowly. "Well, I mean, it's more like we kissed each other? I mean, he kinda initiated it? But y'know, I didn't not kiss back?"

"I get what you mean." Yuuka bites her lip as she stares intently at my face. "Does he like you?"

"I'm pretty sure. We've basically spent the last few weeks together, and I've stayed over at his place a lot."

"Do you like him?" She really doesn't beat around the bush, does she?

"Yeah," I hide my face in my hands. "I think I'm gay. But not like fully gay? I still like girls, but I really like Takumi, and he's a guy." I feel myself starting to ramble, a clear sign that I'm panicking.

"It's called bisexual, buddy. Or pansexual, there's that too." Yuuka pats me on the back gently. She's taking this surprisingly well. There's a real look of clarity on her face. Everything is retroactively making sense to her now.

"Okay, maybe not the sex part though. Just like in general, I don't know, I'm just really confused." My hand reaches up to scratch the back of my neck. The thought of sex has always weirded me out. People always just told me it would be okay once I met the right person. Yet here I am, actually liking someone and the thought of sex still grosses me out.

"There's this thing called the asexual spectrum, you're probably on there just like me. Look it up and decided what one you like best. Take your time, you don't need to rush yourself."

"Thank you," I smile. The fact that Yuuka hasn't grown three heads and shoot fire at me is simply incredible to me. "I was really nervous about telling you."

"Why?" She squints a little. "You know that I'm bi, right?"

"I know that, Anako was the one that told me. She told me that you two made out once." I chuckle. "But Takumi was one of your best friends, so I wasn't sure how you'd react. And now… well, the issue is with him and not me."

I'm guessing Takumi was right. That Yuuka just got over what happened between us. I suppose she knew my motive, and that somehow made it okay. I still feel like I need to make it up to her though. I guess that will just come with time.

"Wait, are you implying that Takumi made you realise you were bi or whatever?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I feel myself blinking very quickly. Yuuka's face is ever so slightly crumpled. I'm afraid she's just gonna punch me in the face or something.

"Never tell him that, you'll never hear the end of it."

"He already knows," I shrug my shoulders awkwardly. Yuuka's face falls.

"You had one job."

"Shut up." I push her shoulder playfully while chuckling. For a moment, everything feels normal.

"You know what his ego is like." Yuuka rolls her eyes, and now she's giggling.

"You're right but you don't have to say it."

"When did you figure it out? Or what specifically?" She asks.

""I don't know. It hit me all of a sudden, I guess. I was just sitting there, then I just went  _fuck_." I feel my eyebrows slowly raising. "I think it was just after you crashed that one time, pretty sure."

"So you liked Takumi before you figured out he was dating Kenta?" I nod. "That explains a lot, to be honest."

"Yeah…" I grimace. "I was very confused to say the least."

"I mean, if you're happy now, that's what matters."

Wow, I think to myself. I can't believe she's forgiving me this easily. I really don't deserve Yuuka as a sister, after everything I've done to her.

"I haven't really forgiven you," she says. "You're just moving towards it now."

A smile spreads across my face. She just read my thoughts. She cared enough to finally break down that barrier that's been between us for so long. "I guess that's all I can ask for. Resent and remember?"

"That's my motto." I sigh, but she just laughs. She's going to keep bringing this up while we're like sixty and retired, I just know it.

"Sometimes, I feel bad." Yuuka lets me continue, even though I can tell she has something to say. "Y'know, like, this is happening so soon after Kenta and Takumi broke up. I feel like I might have caused that."

"You didn't cause that," Yuuka shakes her head. "Kenta told me that they had been fighting for months over the whole _taking Team Liberation a step further_  thing."

"Was that the night he came over here and got really drunk?"

"Yep, managed to get a date with Miguel that night too."

"Phantom Riders' Miguel?" I turn to look at her, very confused. The night they broke up? Geez, Kenta must have been very ready to break up with Takumi.

"Yep, the same one." She nods.

"Okay, I feel better about myself now." I sigh in relief. "If Kenta's moving on, then it's okay for me to kiss Takumi."

"You keep telling yourself that." She just told me that it's okay. Is she going back on her word? "You liking him doesn't make him any less of an asshole." Oh, there it is. She doesn't hate me anymore, but I think her hatred of Takumi has only increased.

"Leave me alone." I know Takumi has done some bad stuff, but that doesn't negate the fact that I like him still.

"Never." There's a beat of silence. "Did Takumi ever calm down about that thing?"

"The gang thing?"

"Yeah," she nods, "I was hoping he did."

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "He's stopped talking about it for now. He's waiting until the WRGP finishes, cause y'know, he's thinking that we're going to the final."

"You don't sound certain to me, and it's your team." She raises an eyebrow at me.

"Leave me and my anxiety alone."

"I know that you're not a functional human being, but at least have some faith in yourself." She exhales through her nose. _I'm just waiting until I have the mental capacity to deal with Takumi again. That little bitch is going to get what's coming to him._  It takes all of me not to sigh at Yuuka's thoughts.

"Hey, I'm sorry about keeping you from that match today." I finally say after a long pause. I look down at the floor to avoid looking into her eyes, while scratching the back of my neck. "I was going to talk to you last night, but I ended up staying over at Takumi's." Yuuka's face start to flush ever so slightly and her eyes narrow just a little bit. "Nothing happened after the kiss."

"Unusually tame for Takumi, but okay." She brushes it off so casually. I feel my face start to heat up. Did she really think that we… "No, stop that." She scolds.

"Leave me alone."

"I want burritos, you coming?" Yuuka says, standing up.

"Yuuka, it's noon."

"And? I want burritos."

"Alright, I guess." I shrug my shoulders and stand up too.

I'm surprised by how well that went. I explain to Yuuka  _why_  I did what I did. I want her to know. She just looks at me with sad eyes. I feel the thoughts of Raiden flash before my eyes. Her words are so powerful. I feel her experiences, as if muscle memory lingering in my fingertips.

"You can't change someone who doesn't want to change."

* * *

My next port of call is Emiko. Mostly because Shinji, Anako, and even Reika seem fine with me, especially now that I've told Yuuka. Emiko herself seems less okay with the idea.

"Are you ready for the match tomorrow?" I ask her after we have a practice duel. The Team New World duel is tomorrow. Emiko wanted to make sure that I get as much practice in as possible, even if she's the one sitting out this duel tomorrow.

"I have a bad feeling," she sighs. "I just can't shake it. Something's going to go wrong."

"It won't happen." I place my hand on her shoulder. She's not completely jerking away which is a victory. "We've got a good strategy. We're avoiding all Synchros because New World runs Anti-Synchro."

"Yeah, yeah." She mutters, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "Hey, can I talk to you about that duel?"

"Sure," I nod. "Is it a pointer?"

"No, not really." There's a pause. "I just felt like I understood something about you. That you do things for the greater good."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll take risks." She nods slowly. "If it means that it will get you closer to the end. You know that phrase,  _the ends justify the means_. You'd agree with that, wouldn't you?"

"I do," I answer. "Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. Speaking of  _justifying the means_ -"

"That's why you betrayed Yuuka? I know."

"What do you mean  _you know_?"

"You like Takumi, but not what he's doing." She sighs. "So, you tried to convince him to stop, lying to everyone around you. Kaoru, as much as you might say that you think you did the right thing, I have to disagree."

"I can't go back on that, can I?"

"That doesn't negate the fact that you hurt a lot of people, just to stop Takumi doing something stupid. You realise that if he tried anything, he probably would have failed by himself?"

"I couldn't stand by and watch that! I don't know how you expected me to do that."

"You sat by and watched Yuuka suffer." Her words cut like ice. "I know that's why you did it. As if it makes up for that. Kaoru, you were wrong, admit it."

"Fine!" I rub my hands over my face. "I don't know what else you want me to say."

"Then answer me something, Kaoru." Emiko's eyes are narrow and glassy. "Did you ever like me? Honestly."

"Emiko, I-"

"No," she interrupts me. "Tell me straight. You asked me out on several dates. The roller skating rink. You invited Anako because Yuuka was there. So why was I there? I thought it was because you liked me. I did, and that's the end of it. You invited me to a date location straight from the movies. Only to turn around and tell me a while later that you like _some guy_  that I've never met before. All that, after  _years_  of sticking with you, busting my ass off for you trying to find Yuuka. Remember that list of shops? That took me  _eleven hours_. I stayed up all night making it for you. You want to know why I did that? Because I couldn't bear to see you in any more pain. I learned stuff from advanced classes, stuff from the year above me, just to help you study. I've stayed by your side since we were literal fucking children. You want to know why, Kaoru? Because I  _loved_  you. And you knew, didn't you? You played ignorant. You ignored it. You ignored everything. You've taken me for granted, time and time again. I know you have. But I keep playing into your hand. You know why? Because I care too much. Now Kaoru, tell me the truth. Did you ever like me?"

Oh gods.

This is a lot to take in.

Emiko… liked  _me_? I never knew.

"Emiko," is all I manage to splutter out. Emiko just bites her lip. "I-"

I take a deep breath. It's true what she's saying. I do take her for granted. It's not like I've been too kind to her since I found Yuuka. So much has happened since then. I've felt so far removed from my previous life that there's now a rift between us. I thought the roller skating would bridge it, but it looks like it's only pushed us further apart.

"I'm sorry," I manage to croak out. "I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I've treated you like shit, and this isn't what you deserve. I know I fucked up and all I want is your forgiveness." I feel myself starting to tear up. "I know what I did was wrong. Somehow, in my mind, it all made sense to me. I didn't mean to hurt everyone. I don't want to admit it because I can't go back and change it. Worst of all, I can't go back and change it so I never hurt you. I told you my biggest fear in becoming a psychic was hurting you, and that's still true. I was worried about hurting you with my powers. It turns out that I never needed to worry about that."

"Kaoru-" Tear begins streaming down Emiko's face.

"No, listen to me. I didn't know that you even liked me. I knew you care about me, sometimes a little too much. You were my friend when no one else. Hell, you were my only friend for basically the first fifteen years of my life. Regardless of whether you liked me or not, I shouldn't have treated you like. I'm sorry, and I only want you to forgive me."

"Kaoru…" She mutters, "Thank you. That means a lot to me. I know you didn't mean it, deep down." She smiles, just for a second. "But don't think that makes this okay. You gotta work for me to properly forgive you."

"That's what Yuuka told me, I didn't expect any more than that." That makes her giggle.

"That sounds like Yuuka."

"But you actually loved me?"

"For years, Kaoru. Since I was thirteen."

"Oh, I am so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"That's a long time to love someone so stupid without them even knowing." Emiko finally laughs, and the sound ringing in my ears is beautiful.

"I mean, you're right."

"But you said  _loved_."

"Yeah…" Emiko tenses. "Well my heart was shattered into a million pieces when you told me that you liked Takumi, so I've had some time to get over it."

"Oh, that's why you were crying." I say, fully stating the obvious. Emiko just looks at me with a vacant expression on her face.

"For the greater good of my sanity, please stop."

"Right, right."

"C'mon, give me a hug." Emiko practically throws herself at me.

"You know what." She mutters into my chest. "Things may not have turned out the way I wanted, but at least I still get your hugs."

"You mean  _still be my friend_ , right?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said."

* * *

Today is the day. The semifinals of the WRGP are finally here. Our match against Team New World is the first matchup of the round. Team Delta are likely to lose according to betting odds, but I don't let that affect me. It's just because Team New World is very well known. People like the comfort of a familiar name.  _At least you're still the heart throb of the tournament_ , Takumi told me. I repeated that to Yuuka and she told me to punch him in the face.

I wanted to go first, I told the team. My ace, Judgement Dragon, isn't a Synchro, so I'm the perfect lead against a team whose whole strategy is Anti-Synchro. Then, Shinji is second because Dragunitys don't focus on Synchros too much. Then finally, coming up in the rear is Anako with her non-Synchro Spellcaster deck. Emiko gets to sit this match out, rather reluctantly.

I can hear some people chanting my name in the crowd as I wait at the start line. I hear the syllables together, and it's oddly calming. I never thought that I could ever be in front of a large crowd and find it  _calming_.

Once the duel starts, I get to take the first turn against the first rider, Luciano. My brain craves the scream of the crowd, something which has dimmed. I start to mill my deck for Judgement Dragon. I just can't get it into my hand. So, I push harder and I finally get it out on the field.

" _Banish the shadows with the brightest of light and cast judgment upon your enemies! Special Summon! Appear, Judgment Dragon!_ "

The crowd screams as I summon my ace again. My deck mills. All the cards that got sent to the graveyard in my effort to summon Judgement Dragon have finally caught up to me. My deck is empty. I look at the cards I have set, nothing that can save me. The only card that could is in my graveyard. I'm going to deck out, and  _lose_.

"The unthinkable has happened!" The MC screams when my next turn arrives. "Kaoru Sasaki has decked out! He will now pass the baton to Team Delta's second rider, Shinji Yamazaki!"

I lower myself to the ground once I get back into the pit. The only thing tethering me to the world around me is my D-Wheel that I'm leaning against. Anako and Emiko run over to me. It's only when Anako touches my arm that I realise that I'm gripping my hair so hard that I might just pull it all out. But, I can't move my arms, I can't move anything. I can barely get air into my lungs. My world is collapsing around me.

"We're going to lose," I keep repeating to myself, "and it's all my fault."

Anako and Emiko keep hovering around me, even though I can't make out what they're saying. Shinji comes back into the pit. I can only see everyone's shoes as they walk around. Anako leaves, but Emiko stays with me.

"That's it!" The MC's scream brings me back to reality, if even just for a few seconds. "Team Delta have suffered a crushing defeat to Team New World, who progress to the final. The big question is who will face them? Team Ragnarok or Team 5D's? We find out at the last semi-final match tomorrow!"

I bring myself to slowly look around the pit. The despair is so thick in the air that I can almost taste the salt in their tears. Reika and Shinji are clinging to each other for dear life. Emiko runs to Anako and hugs her as she returns to the pit. The only sound in the pit is that of a soft sob. Emiko pulls back for just a second, her hands find their way to Anako's face. She pulls Anako's face forward, their lips meeting in the middle. Then, on top of all that, Anako kisses  _her_.

Then, as quickly as that happened, everyone seems to forget about it. We're left to stew in our sorrow. The silence in here is deafening. Only one thought keeps running through my head, and it refuses to be silenced.  _It's my fault that we lost, and everyone knows it._

* * *

I just go straight home. I don't even look at the press, I don't even talk to my friends. I can't bring myself to. When I get home, luckily before my mom, I just throw myself on my bed and lie there facedown with my head resting on my forearms. I don't answer when my mom knocks on the door. She peeks in, she closes the door after a few seconds of me not responding.

Flashes of the duel keep playing in my mind. The noise of the crowd becomes more and more distorted. I hear them mocking me,  _blaming_  me. It's more than I can handle.

There's a knock on the door again. I feel Yuuka's presence outside my door. "Hey buddy?" She says through the door. I don't respond. "It's not your fault." I hear her sigh. "Kaoru?"

"Go away." I manage to croak out. Can't she understand what I'm going through? Isn't she the queen of closing herself off when something bad happens?

"No, I'm not going away. I just wanna talk."

I tell her  _fine_  mentally. She slowly opens the door. The light from the open door illuminates my nearly pitch dark room.

"Don't turn on the light." I tell her. I can't deal with bright light right now.

"Bitch, I can't see." I tug on my curtain, letting more than just a sliver of light in. I guess this is more than enough for her because I hear her grab my chair and sit next to the bed. I turn my head slightly so I can look at her. She sits there silently. She's waiting until I say something.

"Why do I keep fucking up?" I place my forehead back on my arms so I don't have to look at her.

"You're not always fucking up." She pats my arm gently, but it does no good. "It happens to all of us."

"Not in the semifinal of all places." I scoff, burying my head further into my arms.

"I messed up while dueling Raiden and I got thrown through a wall and had a building collapse on top of me. There are worse things." I can tell by the tone in her voice that she's trying to make me feel better. All that does is bring back horrid memories.

"But I messed up in front of a crowd of thousands." There's a pause of silence. I listen to Yuuka's thoughts. She's noticed the scratch marks on my arms. I should have pulled down my sleeves before letting her come in.

"I nearly died. We get over it." I finally turn my head so I'm looking at her again.

"Okay, maybe we're not dead, but I still feel bad." I exhale through my nose. I notice Yuuka's face falling.

"What do you do to make yourself feel better?"

"I don't know. I just normally lie here until the nauseous feeling goes away."  _Yep, classic anxiety attack._

"I just attach myself to Yusei until my head stops hurting." She answers without me asking her.

"I don't care," I squint at her. "I don't want to know what you do with your boyfriend." Yuuka looks like she gets an idea and takes out her phone. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," she answers. I try to read her thoughts, but she's purposely blocking me out. "So, aside from the thing, how are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess." Why is she asking this? What does she want to know?"

"Yeah, that's good." She nods before standing up. "I'm gonna get you some food, you need it."

"No offense, but I don't think I can eat right now."

"I understand the feeling, but I'm going to ignore that." I sit in silence while Yuuka's gone. In the meantime, the cat my mom adopted recently decides to hop onto my back. Somehow, while I was spending all my time with Takumi, my mom adopted a cat without telling me. The cat, Mrs. Whiskers as named by Yuuka, isn't normally allowed into my room, but Yuuka left the door open so she was able to come in.

"Get her off me," I say once I feel Yuuka's aura re enter the room. Yuuka throws the junk food in her arms near my head. I feel something soft hit my head directly. She takes the cat off my back and into her arms.

"Eat your junk food, dumbass." She says as I sit up. I pick up a bar of chocolate from my pillow. "Junk food is what I eat when I'm like that."

"You get like that too?" I ask before taking a bite. I know she gets the shakes too, but I didn't know she got full blown anxiety attacks too.

"Yeah," she sighs. "One time, I scratched my arm so hard, it started bleeding. The scars went away after like a week. Don't do that, not a fun time." I just nod, not knowing what else to say. "How are things going with Takumi?" She changes the topic of conversation.

"Good, good." I can't met her eyes. Talking about Takumi with her will be awkward for me until things are right between them again. "I don't think we're official yet, but we basically are." He hasn't kissed me since that night. But we constantly talk and I'm just waiting for a conversation about where we are.

"Cool," Yuuka says before her phone buzzes and she immediately goes downstairs. I hear the front door open and close. I finish my chocolate bar. I try to read Yuuka's thoughts as she's no longer blocking me out. She's at the front door, talking to Takumi. I decide to go downstairs.

"I'm not Raiden, y'know." Takumi says as I open the door. "Too soon?" Neither of them notice me.

"Raiden what now?" I ask. Both of them freeze, turning to look at me. I feel myself starting to flush at the mere sight of Takumi.

"Nothing important," Yuuka says, patting my arm. She makes a beeline for the garage, and her D-Wheel. "Conversation for another day, now go be gay or something."

There's silence after Yuuka leaves us, except for the roar her D-Wheel makes as it leaves the garage. "Want to come inside?" I ask Takumi. He nods and I bring him up to my room.

"Hey," Takumi begins once we sit down on my bed. "How are you holding up?"

"Not well," I answer honestly. "It feels like shit, knowing that I'm the reason we lost."

"Now don't say that." Takumi scolds gently. "How could you have known what would happen after that? You guys just got really unlucky."

"I don't know, it just feels like it's my fault and everyone blames me."

"Don't listen to that voice inside your head." Takumi places a finger on my forehead. "It's always wrong and you know that. You're a great duelist and person. Your friends love you. They don't blame you. You are good enough."

"Thank you," I sigh with a smile.

We descend into silence, but it's comfortable. Takumi squeezes my hand with his. It's so comforting. I keep returning the gesture. I can't keep the small smile off my face. What is it about Takumi that is so comforting? He feels like home. It's then that I realise that this is more than I ever imagined. And for once in my life, I just accept that as it is.

* * *

I can't believe I'm going to do this. I'm about to change my entire life. I can guarantee that it will never be the same. I'm finally going to tell my mom that I'm gay, and that I'm a psychic. I'm honestly more worried about the psychic thing.

I knock on Yuuka's door. I asked her to come over, so she can be here to support me. I can't do this on my own. And my mom met Takumi yesterday as he was leaving after comforting me. I just open the door without waiting for a response.

Yuuka just stares at me as I enter the room from where she is on her bed. She gives me a look up and down. Red flannel and blue skinny jeans, which is what she told me to wear. "That's Takumi's shirt, isn't it?" She groans.

"Maybe," I avoid her eyes. He may have lent it to me after I stayed over at his place, and I may not have given it back yet.

"Why do you do this to me?" She gets off the bed, standing up. "What are we doing anyway?"

"Well," I gulp. I forgot that I didn't tell her why I asked her to come over. I move my eyes to our mom's bedroom door, hoping she gets the idea.

" _Oh_ ," her mouth makes an  _o_  shape as the realisation spreads across her face. "That was pretty quick."

"Can't really hide it, can I?"

"I suppose," she shrugs her shoulders. "Considering he was over yesterday and then I called you gay, she probably saw this coming."

"If it makes my life easier, then I'm not going to complain." I stick my hands in my pockets and keep shifting my weight from leg to leg. Anything to keep the nerves at bay. "Who else do I know that's gay?" I keep my voice low because I know that she's downstairs.

"If we're talking gay in the sense of not straight, like, everyone we know." Yuuka says very casually.

"What?" I mutter. "Even like Yusei and the others?"

"Yusei's panromantic," she explains, "he doesn't care what gender people are. Which is good for me, cause I don't really identify as any gender even though I present as female." Her face scrunches in thought. "Even all of the gang people we know too. Raiden is the only one that's hundred percent straight basically." She nods slowly. "Well, I mean Reika likes guys, but you know since she's asexual and is also agender, we don't really count her. That's honestly about it. We have a way of finding each other, I guess." She can't be serious, that's so many people. I guess Psycho isn't just a psychic club. "Dude, Raiden's the only straight psychic I've ever known, get over it. Maybe Divine, but that's about it. Geez, something about being marginalized for something beyond our control. What am I talking about being psychic or gay?"

"That's a fair point."

"Are you ready?" She asks, changing the topic.

"I don't know. Are you?" Yuuka makes a face when she realises exactly how nervous I am. Oh gods, I can't bare this anymore. "Okay, come on. We're getting this over with."

"Kaoru, honey, can you put some coffee on please?" Mom calls for me as soon as she hears me coming down the stairs. Yuuka's trying not to laugh. I just roll my eyes and head straight into the kitchen. "Oh Yuuka, I didn't know you were here." I hear her saying from the sitting room as Yuuka goes in there.

"I just got here," Yuuka lies.

I put on the kettle. I turn around to see our cat on the table, where she isn't allowed. "Mrs. Whiskers, get off the table!" I scold her. I pick her up, and put her by the door to the sitting room and open it. Thankfully, she goes inside, that should make Yuuka happy. The kettle finishes boiling quickly, for once. I make Yuuka a cup of coffee too. I probably shouldn't feed her addiction like this, but she would probably get mad if I  _didn't_ make her one.

"I made you one too," I say as I hand Yuuka her cup after I hand our mom her cup. "Cause you always want coffee." Just as Yuuka takes the cup, Mrs. Whiskers jumps out of her lap, settling between Yuuka and our mom on the big couch. Since that seat is taken, I sit on the other, smaller couch.

"Oh yes, it's so true." Yuuka smiles happily with her coffee.

_Why aren't you drinking your old man tea?_  I hear Yuuka ask me mentally.

The caffeine makes my anxiety worse, I answer. Since apparently, green tea is full of caffeine. That's something Yuuka only told me recently, since she's a caffeine expert or something.

"Are you not having anything, son?" My mom asks, picking up on it too. Do I really drink that much green tea? Am I slowly turning to Yuuka, but with green tea instead of coffee? I hope not. What's next? Me drinking alcohol?

"Uh, no." I mutter back.

"Why not? Is something wrong?" She says before taking a sip.

"Well," I move a hand to the back of my neck, "kind of." My gaze shifts from Yuuka to our mom. Yuuka nods ever so slightly at me. "I have something to tell you."

"I know you're gay, son, it's okay." My mom cuts me off before I even get to say anything.

"I'm-" I start to say. Then, it hits me. "W-Wait, what?"

"I know that you're gay, I've always known."

"And you're… okay with that?" I'm blinking really fast. My hands are shaking. This can't be real. Surely, she should be having a bigger reaction than this.

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I? I still love and support you, honey." She chuckles at the shock that clearly painted on my face. "I've been expecting this for a while. A few months ago, you said you were bringing a friend home. I thought you were bringing home a boy, so I put makeup and everything! Nope, you just showed up with your sister."

"That would explain a lot." Yuuka says, sipping her coffee. "Am I the only person who didn't see this coming?"

"Probably," our mom chuckles again. At least Yuuka and I were in this together. "Aren't you bi? You should have clocked him."

"Yep, he's bi too actually." Yuuka shrugs her shoulders. I would have liked to make that correction myself.

"That's okay too." My mom nods slowly at me with a wide smile.

"I thought it was funny, because I used to beat up the people who beat him up for being gay. I never realised." Yuuka pauses for a second. "Still would have beat them up either way."

"And you call your brother oblivious." Our mom sighs.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Yuuka mutters into her cup of coffee.

"Because you're an idiot," I say matter-of-factly. Yuuka looks positively offended, as if it isn't true. I turn back to our mom. "Actually, there's another thing too. I-"

"You're a psychic too?" My mom cuts me off again. Can't I come out to her properly? Is this a guessing game or something? "Why else would you go looking for her?"

"Well yeah," I blink slowly. I still have to come to terms with everything. Did I lose sleep  _over nothing_?

"I still love you, son." She gets up off the couch, pulling me into a hug. She stretches her arm out for Yuuka to join. She reluctantly gets up and joins us. "And you, Yuuka. It's okay. You're still my kids and I love the both of you." She pats both of your heads, despite the fact that both of our heads are above her. But still, we feel like an actual family for once. Something I thought I'd never get.

"I can't believe you thought I'd reacted badly to that news." She scoffs, completely ruining the moment. I can't help but chuckle. That's just this family, isn't it? Even disregarding how much they look like, Yuuka's a lot more like our mom that she cares to admit.

* * *

Once I come out to my mom, the reality of my life seems to come crashing back down. I realise that no one in Team Delta has talked to each other since we lost. I sent everyone a text, that they don't reply to. I guess we're still mourning our defeat. I guess I'll just give them more time. Somehow, our defeat just feels like one of the many trainwrecks going on in my life right now. I've just accepted that.

Speaking of trainwrecks, I watch the WRGP Final with Takumi at my house. Thankfully, my mom isn't home. The match is Team 5D's versus Team New World, just like everyone expected. It's a little bittersweet to think that Yuuka is sitting in the pit, where I had hoped to be. I don't dwell on it. I'm happy for them. We would have been the ones facing them anyway. I guess it was meant to be.

Jack Atlas makes quick work of Team New World's first two riders. That means that Jack Atlas defeated more of Team New World than Team Delta combined, since we couldn't even defeat Luciano. Then again, Jack's Scarlet Nova Dragon is the perfect counter.  _That doesn't require milling your deck for_ , my own mind mocks me.

Team New World's final rider, Jose, comes out onto the track. He then proceeds to fuse with his D-Wheel.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Takumi screams at the TV. "Team New World are  _cyborgs_?"

"Guess so," I answer nonchalantly.

"How are you not panicking?"

"It's Yuuka's team." I shrug my shoulders. "They've seen some weird shit. This is probably just a regular duel for them."

"Like  _what_?"

"Dead people coming back to life, trying to get revenge on them, and trying to bring about the apocalypse. Remember the big fire around Arcadia? That was the dead people, apparently. And if Yuuka asks, I didn't tell you that."

"What the fuck?" Takumi mutters to himself as we continue to watch the duel. The duel starts back up, and an infinity symbol glows around Jack and Jose. Jack says something about taking real damage.

"Real damage? Are they psychics or is this just because they're cyborgs?"

"I don't have an answer to that. Remind me to ask Yuuka." I try to reach out to her mentally, but I can hear from her thoughts that she's too busy for that.

Jack and Crow get taken out reasonable quickly once Jose summons his Machine Emperor. Crow sacrifices himself to let Yusei start with an advantage.

Jose starts talking about mankind's foolishness, and a future of ruin. Is this just part of the cyborg thing? Like they're playing it up for the cameras.

Then again, maybe not.

Luciano, Placido and Jose rise into the sky in a bright light. When it clears, a single person- or cyborg- descends and joins with not one, but three, D-Wheels. Apparently, this fucker's called Aporia, and all of Team New World was actually just different parts of him.

"Kaoru, am I high?"

"Unfortunately, no."

He speaks about the future he came from. One where Synchro Monsters destroyed everything, leaving him alone in the world. It almost sounds silly, but given the current situation, I have no choice but to believe his words. Our world is, too, destined for that path. Would Yusei winning prevent that? Yusei seems to believe so, and I trust him. No future is set in stone. It's something we create for ourselves.

Yusei summons the aces of Jack and Crow, alongside his own, and takes down Aporia in one swoop. Aporia and his D-Wheel plummet into the Sound, and explode, sending a plume of smoke into the air. With that, Team 5D's wins the WRGP.

"Do you think they saved the future?" Takumi mutters.

"We just have to hope so."

The room becomes unbearingly silent, aside from the post-match talk coming from the TV. I think it's because we both slowly have to come to terms with the fact that we don't get much of a say in our fates. Will that always have to fall to the Signers? Will our world cease to exist if the Signers lose a duel? Has fate always been this cruel?

There's a sudden crash. Takumi jumps onto his feet, out of pure instinct, knocking over our nearly empty bowl of popcorn. "That came from outside." The natural light filling the sitting room slowly dims, until the light of the TV is the only thing keeping us from pure darkness. I stand up and grab Takumi's hand. I lead him to the front door, through the darkness of the hallway.

Other people has started gathering outside. I look around the street. None of the neighbours are talking to each other, just staring at the sky in shock. I slowly turn, to look where the sun would be. Takumi grips my hand harder. I don't flinch at the pain.

There is a giant island in the sky, blocking out the sun. The thin strip of blue sky that separates it and the Neo Domino City skyline is getting ever so slightly smaller.

"We're going to die!" I hear someone scream. "Run!" "It's falling!"

I pull Takumi back inside the house. The TV broadcast has stopped. The sound of static fills my ears. The gentle grey light barely illuminates Takumi's face. We stand in silence. It's the end of the world as we know it. Then, the power goes out.

My eyes start to well up. Is this the end? I listen for Yuuka's thoughts. She's panicking, very badly.  _The Ark Cradle is going to fall, destroying the City._  Takumi holds onto me for dear life. Should we stay, or run?

I don't get the choice, as we get the evacuation message. Just as it finishes, my mom arrives home. We pack a small bag of bare essentials. I pack an extra set for Takumi. My mom takes the first ever photo of Yuuka and I together once she got into the City. I turn around and grab the photo of Yuuka, Emiko and I in Duel Academy, a simpler time when we all had big smiles on our faces.

We leave the house, and follow the crowd leaving the suburbs. The Ark Cradle is moving ever faster, on a collision path with the City. The lack of electricity and Moment means that every single person has to evacuate on foot. My mom separates from us to find her sisters. I reluctantly let her go. Takumi convinces me to. I say goodbye to my mom, for what very well may be the last time.

I try reach out to Yuuka. For once, she lets me in. Are you okay? I ask her. They're telling us to evacuate. What's with that thing in the sky? Do you know what's going on?

_Kaoru_ , she addresses me.  _I know what's going on but I wouldn't dare to try and explain it now. It's not the time or place for that. Just know that I'm going to stop it. Listen to what Security say and get out as fast as you can. Take Kasumi and get as far away as you can, don't look back. Don't think about me until everything is over, I'm going to fight. If… anything happens to me, you can take my D-Wheel and my deck. You can do whatever you want with them. Give everything else to Yusei, he'll know what to do with it. ...Just don't forget me, okay?_

Yuuka, what are you talking about?

_Listen. I know this is dangerous but it's the only way. Just remember that you're the best brother anyone could ask for, and I love you._

I keep calling out to her, becoming only more and more panicked.

_Kaoru, I love you but I'm going to cut the mental connection off until this is over. If the worst happens, I don't want you to experience it. I'll see you on the other side._

I try calling out to her again, but I feel our mental connection snap. Not like before, where I could still hear whispers of her thoughts if I tried hard enough. Now, I feel  _alone_ , more than I have ever felt. Tears start streaming down my face, but Takumi keeps pulling me forward with the crowd. I look up at him. He looks like he's barely keeping it together.

Yuuka and Team 5D's are going up into the Ark Cradle. I can feel it. Just because Yuuka has severed our mental connection, it doesn't mean that everything is lost. Shinji, Reika and Emiko are all texting me to make sure that I'm okay. Anako's phone is dead, but she's safe with Emiko. They ask for updates on Yuuka. I reluctantly tell them where she's going.

She must have known this was going to happen.

Is this why she disappeared for a week? Is this why she's been so secretive? Wait, I've seen the Ark Cradle before in her dreams. She knew all along. She kept that burden to herself. That's why she's going up there, because this is her burden to bear.

I try not to look back at the City or the Ark Cradle, and just keep going forward. It's just too painful.

"If we die-"

"Takumi,  _please-_ "

"I'm just glad you were by my side."

"Me too." I don't know what to say. We're staring death in the face. It's hard finding words. Takumi just squeezes my hand as we continue walking.

"I am Z-One," a voice booms. The entire crowd looks back to the Ark Cradle. There's a projection all around it. It looks like some sort of machine with a mask. "The Ark Cradle will soon destroy Neo Domino City, and a new future will begin. You will be living witnesses. The sky will be the duel field. Come, Yusei Fudo. Aporia gave his power to that D-Wheel."

Aporia? Didn't he crash into the Sound and die? Why would he help Yusei?

Who is the Z-One? And what does he want?

Right from the start, Z-One seems unbeatable. His Timelords just look too powerful. Yusei manages to summon the aces of Jack, Crow and Aki without much hassle. Because of this, Yusei is able to deal 1500 points of damage to Z-One. Some people around us cheer. We're walking away from the City, but most of us can't help but look back at the projections.

There's silence. Z-One crashed into a set of low hanging buildings in the Ark Cradle, he slowly emerges, and my blood runs cold.

" _Saviour_?" He says. Just from that, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. "Yusei Fudo, you gave the people hope many times before."

"What do you mean?" Yusei asks, sounding as confused as I feel.

"In my future, your heroic tale was...  _inspiring_." The projections in the sky focus on Z-One's mask. It's starting to chip from the damage he just took. Tiny shards start falling away at the cracks. There's a tease of dark, wrinkled skin underneath.

"My heroic tale?" Yusei echoes. The cracks in the mask grow, joining together. Piece by piece, the left side of the mask falls away. I spot the yellow of a marker standing out against the dark skin.

"You're… Z-One, who are you?" Yusei's voice shakes, entirely unsure what to make of this.

"Hm, since you've seen my face, I should answer. Yusei Fudo, I am your future self."

"What?"

"In the future, humanity's yearning for evolution was insatiable, causing Moment to go out of control." Z-One explains. "That was the beginning of everything. Moment is an engine that reads people's desires. Evolution led to evil ideas, such as temptation and greed, taking over people's hearts, so Moment went out of control. It infected the worldwide network with a certain idea. That if nothing changes, the world will be destroyed. Humans are the cause, so they must be eliminated. In order to save that world from destruction, I led the people. You  _are_ me."

Gasps and screams erupt from the crowd around us. I cling to Takumi, who keeps me from falling. Takumi's face looks completely calm, but his eyes tell a different story. Is it true? Yuuka became a Dark Signer to kill Yusei, now Yusei's future self is trying to kill us all. How much more tragedy can those two endure?

The projection goes silent as it just focuses on Z-One's and Yusei's faces. Some people stop moving, while some only move quicker. Takumi slowly begins to move again, but my feet can barely support me anymore, yet alone keep me going.

Z-One can't be Yusei, no matter what he says. Even if he once was Yusei, the second he decided to destroy the City, he stopped being Yusei. The Yusei I know would never do anything like that.

Things only get worse from there. Z-One summons three Timelords onto his field instead of one. Z-One regains the damage that Yusei just dealt. Yusei goes down to 1500 life points in the blink of an eye.

"No matter what, I won't give up! I do not believe in saving the future by destroying the City! You are not me!" Despite everything, Yusei refuses to give up.

"I was looking for a way to save the world from destruction. I realised something about the machine army, its power source was Moment. And what powers Moment? The Yusei Particles that were my namesake. They read people's souls, so I knew I had to make people behave morally. But the desires and negative feelings of arrogant people were things that I couldn't change with my own hands. I tried. Believe me, I did. I was Yusei Fudo, the supposed saviour of Neo Domino City. I was a legendary hero who faced all obstacles and never gave up. I knew that I had to become the hero believed me to be."

So, what Z-One is saying that we, the people of the Neo Domino, caused its destruction in the first place?

"Eventually, my people once again remembered to help each other, understand each other, and the machine army stopped attacking us. I began to feel that the world would be saved. However... There wasn't enough time left to spread the message to everyone. Due to people's negativity, Moment finally started to spin negatively towards destruction. The affected network selected the path of destruction. In the end, I wasn't able to save a single person. I lost that which was most important to me. It wasn't possible to change people's hearts. And I reached my current conclusion. In order to save the world, I must erase the Moment that our father created and Neo Domino City from history."

Is the world really doomed? Is history going to repeat itself?

Z-One summons five Timelords to his field. Are we destined to always follow that path towards destruction? People are still as shitty as they were then.

Yusei asks why Z-One went down that path.  _He lost Yuuka_  is what he says. Z-One's Yuuka died, and that's why he is the way he is now. The loss was too big for him, he was alone in the world. He concluded that changing the past was the only way to save the future.

Yusei, barely, survives the attacks of the five Timelords.

Everything feels so grim. Barely anyone cheered when Yusei survived an attack after it looked like he would lose. Takumi and I are clinging to each other, not saying a word. It's unsettling. We're staring near-certain death in the face, and we know it.

"I would congratulate you for surviving, but you have little time left." Z-One says. "he Ark Cradle will soon collide with Neo Domino City, destroying that detestable Moment." Just as he says it, a building dislodges itself from the Ark Cradle hits the City.

People begin to scream as a giant dust cloud flies up into the air. I start coughing. The city centre may seem far away from where we are now, but it isn't. If the Ark Cradle falls right now, the resulting destruction would take out every single person evacuating right now.

Another building falls.

I hear children crying for their mothers. I stop for a moment, looking around. I feel my mind playing tricks on me. For just a second, I hear Yuuka screaming. There's a burning sensation in my chest. I get a glimpse of Yuuka in the crowd, even though I know it's impossible. Her hair has grown all the way down to her waist. Her eyes look at me with pity. There's an emotion in her eyes that I can't quite explain.

"Kaoru, there's nothing you can do. Let's keep going."

We keep moving. I can't tell who's going to win this duel anymore. Hopefully we'll be far enough from the City by the time Ark Cradle falls that we won't instantly die.

"Even if Moment vanishes from history, if humanity's evolution leads to desire and temptation, there's no difference from the future you lived in! Can you still say that the world is saved? In order to truly save the future, everyone's hearts must move in the correct direction, and we must create a future where we can flourish together with Moment!" Yusei raises a clenched fist. "If we don't save the present, then the future won't be saved either! We won't be able to save anyone." He stretches his arm straight out to point at Z-One. "Isn't that right, Z-One? I will find a way to save the future!" There's a pause. "I know now," Yusei continues, "I'm not carrying the burden of destiny alone. Everyone in the City is rooting for me. They are giving me power. I see!" He shoots right up beyond the Ark Cradle. "In order to surpass my own limits, I can't do it with just my own power! I must unite my friends' thoughts and form our bond. The bond between Team 5D's make that possible!"

Yusei tunes all of Team 5D's aces, summoning a new monster, Shooting Quasar Dragon. The monster takes out all five of Z-One's Timelords, at the cost of itself. It leaves Shooting Star Dragon in its place, and Z-One with 700 life points.

"A counterattack straight from the soul!" I hear a voice shouting. Could that be the MC from the WRGP? His voice leaves a ringing in my ears. "A surging wave of six attacks! See that, Z-One? This is Yusei's... I mean, Team 5D's inner strength! Z-One has 700 life points left! Win for us, Yusei! The future of Neo Domino City rests on your shoulders!"

The entire crowd has come to a halt. Everyone's eyes are on the projections. Somehow, Yusei has inspired  _hope_ in us. Almost as if he had broken open the door to a better future right in front of us. Then, just as the smoke clears, there's another door waiting.

Z-One summons his ultimate ace, Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord, who's attack points shoot up to 20000, when four other Timelords are summoned.

"I haven't given up on my future yet!" Yusei shouts over the wailing of the crowd around me. Yusei activates a trap that lets him summon Stardust Dragon, and lets it gain attack points for every Dragon-Type Synchro Monsters in his grave. The dragon grows to a magnificent size as it reaches 23000 attack points.

The other Timelords attack like a shield for Sephylon. Stardust Dragon break through that shield, one Timelord at a time. As the final attack lands, Yusei wins the duel. The impact of the attack sends Z-One flying, a fiery explosion ruptures from where he landed.

"It's finally over!" I hear the MC roar. "A miraculous duel! With a miraculous huge come-from-behind victory, leading to Neo Domino City to our future is our hero, Yusei Fudo!"

As soon as the MC finishes, the crowd erupts into a deafening cheer. People are hugging each other, even people they don't know. I throw myself at Takumi. I try to ignore Yuuka's thoughts niggling their way into the back of my mind. It's not over, is it? I try to ask her, but she doesn't respond.

Then, just as quickly as the joy spread through the crowd, it gets swallowed up, back into despair. The rainbow light that was being emitted from the Ark Cradle disappears entirely. I think it may just be the Ark Cradle stopping once and for all, but I am wrong. The Ark Cradle itself begins to rumble. The buildings that cling to it begin to slide down. Chunks of debris fall, hitting the Neo Domino City skyline.

The crowd screams and begins to run. I don't know what compels me, but I start running back towards the City.

"Kaoru!" Takumi screams after me. He sprints after me. I keep dodging the people that are running straight towards me. Takumi catches up to me and grabs my wrist. "What are you doing?"

"I have to save her!" I keep repeating. I try to get out of his grasp, but he only holds onto me tighter. "She's up there, Takumi. I can't just let her die! I have to do  _something_!"

"Kaoru, there's no point fighting. There's nothing you can do."

"Maybe I can use my powers to stop it!" I scream back, tears in my eyes. "Maybe I could do  _something_  instead of running away!"

"Kaoru," he pleads. "This can only end badly. You could  _die_."

"You're one to talk!" It hurts when Takumi's face falls. "I thought you were supposed to understand. My sister is going to die if I don't do something, so please." My tears turn into sobs, sobs turn into uncontrollable shaking. "Please, let me save her." I just stare at Takumi, waiting for him to say something,  _anything_.

He doesn't say anything, because he kisses me instead.

"I love you," he says softly. Any thoughts of impending doom and death swiftly leave my head. All I do is stare at his face. A smile spreads across my face. Takumi's face slowly falls, but it keeps its softness.

"What?" I whisper.

"I'm sorry," he whispers back. "I realise now, why I was wrong. I thought I could change the world by taking it over. I've caused everyone so much pain, and I'm sorry."

"What?" I repeat.

"Because I just realised something." I nod at him, prodding him to continue. " _Sometimes, you have to learn to stop fighting and protect what you already have._ "

There's silence. Everything around us suddenly seems to disappear. All I can see is him.

"I love you too," I finally respond. He kisses me again.

Once again, everyone around us erupt into cheer. We break apart very suddenly, looking around us. Everyone's attention is turned to the sunrise. Takumi and I turn to look too. The Ark Cradle is simply fading away, allowing the first daylight to shine. Takumi barely looks at the sight, the sunrise we thought we'd never see, so he can kiss me again.

As soon as he lets go of my face, Emiko runs past us, practically dragging Anako behind her. I call out to them. But Emiko just keeps running.

"She has the right idea," Takumi says.

"What?"

"Since the City didn't go out with a bang, you might as well give it one." I punch Takumi's arm so he shuts up.

"Don't get any ideas."

"I was only saying-" My glare stops him in his tracks. "So, what are we?" Takumi finally asks the dreaded question.

"I assumed we were more than friends." I shrug my shoulders.

"I mean, me too."

"So, do you wanna be official?"

"Are you going to ask me?  _Officially_?" This causes Takumi to chuckle.

"Kaoru Sasaki, will you do me the honour of being my boyfriend?"

"Of course, I will." I kiss his cheek, and squeeze the hand that I'm still holding.

"Oh thank the gods," he sighs in relief. "I was  _so_ worried that you were going to say no." He jokes.

" _Sure_ ," I respond in an equally joking tone. "Come on, let's go home." I say, starting to walk back.

* * *

A full twenty-four hours pass once the Ark Cradle disappears, and I still haven't heard from Yuuka. I know she's alive. Her thoughts are distorted, but they're definitely there.

I make my way to Poppo Time, alone. Takumi tried to come with me, but I made him stay at home. There's something wrong with Yuuka, I can feel it. I know she wouldn't want Takumi there to make things worse. I don't even knock. I just walk into the garage. Yusei, Jack and Crow turn around suddenly. I'm probably not who they expected.

"Where is she?" I ask. "She hasn't called me, and I know she's alive." The guys answer  _upstairs_ , horrendously out of sync. I take two steps at a time. I can feel Yuuka's aura in the kitchen. While normally it's hard to detect because ours are so similar, it's unmistakable now. It's stronger now than it ever has been. Even more powerful than when she went berserk, as much as I don't want to think about that.

"Yuuka?" I call as I reach the top of the stairs. "Yuuka-" I look around the room. She's standing in the little kitchenette. For a second, I almost don't recognise her. Just like she appeared in that crowd for a split second, her hair was grown down to her waist. "What- What happened?" I ask her, my voice barely above a whisper. Yuuka shakes her head, her eyes welling up with tears.

_If… anything happens to me_. Yuuka's words just before she went into the Ark Cradle ring in our heads. But she's here, alive, in front of me. She's so scared. She's shaking and nearly crying. I pull her into a hug. Sobs start to rack her body. I can feel her tears soaking into my jacket. I rub her back, trying to calm her down. Memories flash through my mind, but they're neither mine nor Yuuka's. The memories feel so foreign to me. Yuuka cries until she runs out of tears, which is quickly. She have already been crying.

I pull away from the hug and pat her head. "Your hair…" I say softly. I don't know what else to say. It's so long. Seeing her with long hair just feels unnatural, when it's only been so short. Yuuka meets my eyes, and I get to see them up close. Under her eyes almost looks bruised from the tiredness that's consumed her. Then, I notice something strange about her eyes. "Yuuka," I begin, "your eyes, they're different." The look on her face makes me realise that she doesn't know. I let her look at camera in my phone. Yuuka's pupils are rimmed with orange, surrounded by the normal pink colour. Something that definitely wasn't there before. It's then that I realise that the colour orange in Yuuka's eyes matches my own, something I can't understand. "What happened? That colour… It's the colour they turn when you start using your powers too much. What happened when you were gone, Yuuka?"

Yuuka shakes her head and steps back. I take my phone from her hand. She keeps stepping back until her back hits the wall.  _It must have been the Crimson Dragon_ , I hear her thoughts.  _What did I do to deserve this? Couldn't have Z-One just saved Yusei himself and I die because I fell off the Ark Cradle?_  Oh gods, what has she been through? I walk forward and pull her into another hug. "Everything's going to be okay," I keep repeating to her. She doesn't believe me. Maybe if I keep saying it, eventually she will believe it. I let go of her when she stops shaking it. I pat her on the head again.

"Come on," I say as I head back downstairs. Yuuka says nothing, but eventually follows me. "Please tell me that's all over." I say once I'm far enough into the garage.

"What's all over?" Crow asks, rubbing his hands over his cheeks. It's then I notice that it's not only Yuuka that looks like shit. Crow looks like he's seen hell, and he's nothing compared to Yusei.

"That Z-One guy, or whatever his name was." I wave my hand. "Please tell me that's he dead."

"Yeah, he went out with the Ark Cradle." Crow sighs and brushes a hand through his mop of hair.

"Good," I answer, "he deserves to rot in a ditch. That's what he gets for trying to destroy the City."

"No!" Yuuka screams out. Her voice is strained, like the venom of those words nearly killed her. I scan the faces of everyone else in the room. They seem just as shocked as I am. " _No_." She repeats. She takes a deep breath. She's trembling at the mere weight of her words. Her aura is rising and falling like the tide, about to break through the dam. I take the slightest step back from her. There's suddenly static in the air, and it's hard to breathe. Is she only doing this because she's upset? Has she become even stronger? That's what her eyes seem to say. "You don't knew him like  _I did_. How could you  _say_ that? You don't know what he went through!"

"Yuuka…" My eyes are wide and focusing on Yuuka. My face hardens along with hers. "I don't care if he's Yusei from the future, or some random maniac pretending to be him. He's still a psychopath who tried to destroy the City."

" _Excuse you_! You don't know what he went through! None of you do!" Yuuka's voice is trembling. "And you're  _glad_ he's dead. You're pretending he was some fantasy villain, and not a person like you or me. He still had  _feelings_! I can't believe you. Any of you!"

"Yuuka!" I shout as she starts to run out the door. I try to grab her arm but she moves too fast for me. She leaves the door wide open.

"Fuck sake." Crow mutters under his breath.

"What was that?" I turn to the three in confusion.

"She hasn't spoken since we got back." Crow explains. "And that's what she says?"

"Not even to you?" I turn to Yusei.

"We're not on great terms right now." Yusei avoids my eyes completely. I try to scan Yuuka's mind for answers, but instead, I get nothing.

"Right," I answer bluntly, not knowing what else to say. Of course they're not, I suddenly realise. Z-One is Yusei. That must be something that's hard to come to grips with, especially when you're that close. "Text me if she's not back by tonight."

**Crow:**   _shes not back_

It's still early in the evening when I get back to Poppo Time. Takumi tries to come with me, but I make him stay at his place.

"Where do you think she went?" Crow asks me as soon as I get in the door.

"Well, I've tried reading her thoughts all day and I've got nothing, so we're off to a great start."

"Something's happened to her," Yusei sighs. His aura is completely muddled by guilt. My mind naturally trails back to when she became a Dark Signer. Afterwards, Yuuka…

"I think you're right," I respond. "We need to start looking for her."

"Where would she go?" Jack finally says something.

"I have a few places in mind," I begin. "I think we're going to need help. Yuuka could be anywhere in the City, and maybe even further." Then, I notice that her D-Wheel is still here. I wonder what exactly she had on her when she ran. "Here, I'll make a group chat of everyone and we'll figure out something."

**Crow:**   _hey everyone yuukas gone missing. she ran out of our place a few hours ago. if everyone could look for her that would be great_

**Kaoru:**   _I think something happened to her, please help if you can._

Yusei stays at Poppo Time, on the off chance that she comes back. Crow and Jack made that decision for him, interestingly enough. I imagine he's not coping too well after the Ark Cradle too. The light behind his eyes has completely vanished. Jack goes to check through the Satellite. Crow goes to check the City centre. Emiko and Anako takes the Daimon Area and parts of the Docklands. Kenta and Miguel take the residential area around Poppo Time. Felix checks the park. Shinji and Reika check all of the former gang spots, including the ruins of the Black Flag base. Ben and Jasper check the area around Psycho because they're technically supposed to be helping Psycho get back up and running.

The first place I check is home. Mom asks what I'm doing. When I ask if she's seen Yuuka, and the answer is no, I tell her that I came to get something, before leaving again. I check any place that was ever meaningful at all. Duel Academy. The roller skating rink. The various stadiums in the City. That goddamn gazebo in the park that Takumi is obsessed with.

I purposefully left Takumi out of that chat, so that an argument wouldn't start.

**Takumi** _**:** _ _Do you know where Yuuka is?_

**Kaoru:** _No idea. I can't hear her thoughts. It's scary. I think she's hurt herself_

**Takumi:** _Have you checked high places?_

**Takumi:** _The docklands?_

**Takumi:** _Anywhere where she could try?_

I have to pull over when I hear that over my D-Wheel's text reader. So he's thinking the same thing I am? Two places immediately come to mind.

**Kaoru:** _I need you to check somewhere for me?_

**Kaoru:** _You know that platform that overlooks downtown? The one not too far from the park? Can you get there soon? I have to check daedalus bridge_

**Takumi:** _I can do that_

When I get to the bridge, I look around. There's not traffic, not surprising since the City is still recovering from the Ark Cradle not even two days ago at this point. I sit there in the silent serenity. The only thing I can hear is the slight rumble of my engine and the waves lapping underneath the bridge. I pray to the gods that she's okay. I can't bear the thought that I might lose my sister. I can't move. My mind just keeps flashing through memories. She's too important to lose. The thought of losing her strikes me at my very core. You'd struggle to find a better sister in this world, or any other for that matter.

**Takumi:** _I found her. She's okay. I'm getting her a burrito. After that, I'll bring to Poppo Time_

**Kaoru:** _Oh thanks the gods_

**Kaoru:** _Also how is Pablo's back open? The Ark Cradle wasn't even 2 days ago_

**Takumi:** _Pablo is a magic man who gives the people what they want_

I sigh in relief. I lean over. My helmet thuds against my dashboard. I can't believe she's okay. I always believe that she will be okay. This time, I genuinely feared losing my sister. The look in her eyes, her raging aura. It was too much to bear. I sigh again and head back to Poppo Time.

**Kaoru:**   _Yuuka's okay, she's on her way back to Poppo Time._

When I arrive, the only people there are Yusei, Jack, Crow and Aki. With the added surprise of Kenta and Miguel.

"Hold on," Crow says as I enter, "I thought you found Yuuka?"

"No, I just know she's coming." I sigh, and we all descend into an awkward silence. I notice that Kenta is the only one who keeps stealing glances at me. Which obviously means that Yuuka hasn't told him the truth. I feel Yuuka's aura approaching so I watch the door, and obviously, that means that everyone else does too.

"Excuse me," Takumi pops his head in the door first. The aura of every single person in the room becomes darker. This isn't going to end well. Kenta looks like he's about to burst into flames at the mere sight of him. He walks further inside without being invited in. Every aura in the room only gets darker. "Don't look at me like that. Look who I brought." He stretches his arms out.

"Yuuka!" I shout, along with everyone else, as she walks inside. She looks even worse than this morning. She's deathly pale, and the bags under her eyes are so bad that her eyes look bruised.

"Where were you?" Aki runs up to Yuuka and grabs her arm, she flinches at the contact. "We were so worried. What were you doing?"

"Hey, hey, leave her alone for just a minute." Takumi tries to pry Aki off Yuuka. Her eyes widen a little before her brows furrow. "She's been through a lot, you're scaring her. She doesn't have to say what she was doing if she doesn't want to, okay?"

"And who do  _you_ think you are?" Oh here we go. Aki's attention completely leaves Yuuka, and turns onto Takumi. "Do you know what you did to her? You betrayed her  _and_ you made Kaoru do the same." Well, that second part is kind of inaccurate. I don't dare interrupt her because I don't want to put myself in Aki's war path.

"Aki, this isn't the time for this." Aki's head whips around as Crow tries to step between them. "You can yell at him another time." Her eyes narrow, but she stands down. She hunches a little as she crosses her arms.

"Thank you, Takumi." Yusei says, cutting in. There's real sincerity in his voice. I think he knows what Yuuka was about to do. Glimpses of the heights she stood flash through my mind. I'm standing on solid ground, yet that image gives me a shiver down my spine. I look at Yuuka as she finally makes eye contact with Yusei. Her face falls. I do my best to block out her thoughts. I feel like me prying in her thoughts at this exact moment will only make things worse for her.

"Why is  _he_ here though?" The frustration in Kenta's voice is loud and clear. At this exact moment, I wish I could just shrivel up and die. Because I know, in the next few moments, Kenta will learn some things that will make him hate me even more. "We're here for Yuuka, but somehow Takumi makes it all about himself like always." Instead of looking at Kenta, I look at Yusei who is standing beside me. We just look at each other with slightly widened eyes.

"Who's gonna tell him?" Crow looks between Yuuka and I.

"Not me," I say almost immediately. Kenta looks at me. I promptly turn my gaze anywhere but him. He looks around the room before finally landing on Yuuka.

"No, please don't tell me…" My gaze quickly shifts between Kenta and Yuuka. I just hope that I'm not the one he tries to murder first. Yuuka looks completely cornered. I know Yuuka, and what her faces mean. I know there's a stupid, nervous joke coming.

"Dude, did you  _not_ know that Kaoru and Takumi were dating the entire time?" My stupid bitch of a sister quotes Takumi. She must think she's so clever, swapping my name for Kenta's. I've agonised over that single line, and she makes fun of me like this. If she hadn't just tried to kill herself, I might have dragged her ass right there and then. But I don't, because I'm a nice person and she's suffered enough.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kenta's eyes close for a second before turning to look at Takumi. I'm safe,  _for now_. "You  _could_ have waited longer than a month."

"Then, who's that?" Takumi points towards Miguel who has been standing silent besides Kenta the entire time. Miguel has started looking at the ceiling.

"So, Takumi…" Yuuka turns around to Takumi with a fake laugh. Here we go again. "You know Phantom Riders' Miguel, right? You remember him, don't you?"

"You know?" Takumi asks. "Since when?"

"Around the same time that we started…" I answer the question. Yuuka looks at me confused. Oh, that question was aimed at her, wasn't it? There must be only a few days in the difference, I reckon. Going by Yuuka's version of the story that she told me, while we were eating burritos.

"How do  _you_ know?" Takumi practically glares at me. It's hard not to crumble on the spot. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't exactly my place to tell you?" I answer honestly. I don't think current boyfriends should really be giving updates on exes.

"Okay, that's it!" Crow starts pushing Takumi out the door. "Get your relationship dramas out of my house. Goodnight everybody! Thanks for helping, but you're no longer needed. Bye!" I'm the last to leave. I try to say goodbye to Yuuka but Crow basically slams the door in my face, as if it were  _my_  fault.

"I can't believe you!" Kenta shouts as soon as the door closes.

"Like you can say anything," Takumi responds. Maybe if I wish hard enough, I'll transport to literally  _anywhere else_. "You jumped into his arms quick enough." Why did he say that?

"The same could be said for you!" Kenta throws right back. "If you've been after Kaoru, this entire time, the least you could have done was break up with me." Don't bring me into this, I keep repeating to myself as if that could do something.

"Kenta, we were in a relationship _in name only_ by the time we broke up." Takumi sighs. "We both knew it was a train wreck waiting to happen."

"That doesn't mean that it doesn't  _hurt_." Kenta takes a deep breath. "How do you think it feels? Knowing that your boyfriend is plotting to take over the world behind your back, convinced one of your few friends to join him, both of you betray everyone, leaving because you I can't deal with it, only to find out that you jumped into his bed as soon as I turn my back. How am I supposed to feel, Takumi?"

_Ouch_. That's all I can think. Everyone's eyes are on Kenta. Miguel and I steal a glance at each other, we silently agree to stay out of this. This conversation needs to happen.

"If it helps, I've stopped everything. Team Liberation is dead."

"Because  _he_ convinced you? Is that right?" Takumi nods solemnly. "Of course. I was never good enough for you. I tried for months to convince you it was a bad idea, I  _warned_ you. But as soon as I leave, Mr. Perfect is able to convince you? Takumi, did you ever actually  _love_ me?"

"Of course I did, Kenta."

It descends back into silence. My heart is breaking more and more for Kenta by the second. I understand now that I had nothing to do with their breakup. They were never on the same page, it was inevitable. Takumi and Kenta just keep staring at each other. So many unspoken words hang in the air. They had so much, and could have had so much more. Eventually, Kenta just shakes his head and walks away, Miguel following close behind. Takumi just lets them go.

For all of this sadness, a part of me is glad. I love Takumi. Sometimes, a little misery is needed. It puts the good things into perspective. Takumi leans his head on my shoulder as his hand slips into mine. We stand there in the silence for a few moments. I feel certain about our future together, despite everything. I know Takumi has calmed down, learned his mistakes, and will not repeat them. Sometimes, that's all you can do.

* * *

In the calm down after the WRGP, I get offers to join professional leagues. Not just one or two. A giant pile sat on the kitchen table, so I'm very shocked as a hoard of letters arrive. These leagues are all over the world. I could go anywhere. London to Hong Kong. Moscow to Rio de Janeiro. The world is at my fingertips, literally. My mom gets so excited when she thinks about  _her little boy_  going pro.

But something about that doesn't sound right.

Maybe before I became a psychic, I would have thought very differently. But now, that image in my mind is tainted. I know I can control my powers, that's not the problem. But being a professional duelist and dueling constantly. I'd just feel like I'd be wasting my time, that I'm missing what I should be really doing.

I should be helping people, I realise.

After everything I've gone through, I've changed. I see the world the way it is. I see its flaws, but I see that it can be improved. I want to make the world a better place. I've destroyed gangs, but I want to make sure that there's never a need for them again.

I realise what I need to do. I need to become a police officer.

Sure, the system is flawed. Sure, the current police force are corrupt and generally useless. But that doesn't mean that can't change. I can change it from the inside.

This City has changed since the Ark Cradle fell. Security became the Neo Domino City Police Force. Investigations are going into the misjustice that happened under their reign. Maybe in the future, officers won't be called pigs. Maybe the police will make actual impacts on communities.

This City is changing. I want to be a part of that change.

* * *

I don't tell Yuuka that I'm applying for the new batch of police officers, considering how anti-Security she is. Everyone else I tell warns me not to tell her, so I'm glad I'm on the same page as everyone else.

Within a few weeks of the Ark Cradle, something strange happens. They hold a big ceremony for Yusei, because he saved the City. They give him the key to the City, and he gives a speech. I didn't get to go to the event, but I watch the broadcast of it later. But suddenly, in his speech, Yusei says that he wasn't the one who saved the City, but  _Yuuka_. She goes up onto that stage and gives a very impressive speech after being put on the spot. After that one speech, suddenly Yuuka's face is plastered everywhere in this City the next day. Various kinds of Yuuka memorabilia are being sold on street corners. Our mom has started a collection that's one of every kind, from mugs to medallions. Yuuka remains stone faced on the matter, regardless how hard I push for an answer.

"I managed to get a Satellite education scheme going," she says instead of answering the questions. "An anti-discrimination bill for Satellites  _and_  psychics. It's great, isn't it? Hopefully this City will finally see some change."

"Changing it from the inside?"

"Yes," she answers quickly. "Why do you say that?"

"Because that's my plan too."

"I guess we're in that together then, aren't we?"

"What?" I mutter. I can tell by her face that there's a double meaning.

"One condition to all of this," she points at all of the memorabilia that our mom has stocked in the sitting room, "is that I have to become a police officer."

"You're joking?" My face crumples up entirely. "You're serious?  _You_? A  _police_ officer?"

"Why does everyone react like that?" She sips her coffee with a scowl on her face. "Crow's doing it, so why can't I?"

"Because you're  _copying_ me." I smirk at her.

"Hey, first of all, I didn't ask for this." She holds up one finger before putting up another one. "Second of all, you were copying me by getting a D-Wheel and I stand by that."

"Sure," I keep smirking at her. She reaches over and hits me on the arm, a little harder than I think she intended. "Little bitch," I mutter under my breath.

"Heard that," she says before taking another sip.

We descend into silence. I've slowly grown accustomed to listening to Yuuka's thoughts again. Whatever power surge she had in the Ark Cradle made it difficult to hear her thoughts for a while, at least hearing more than a glimpse.

"It's crazy to think that I've had my powers for over a year." I say, just to say something.

"Yeah, it's not long until it's a year since we met up again." She nods slowly, deep in thought. "How does that make you feel?"

"It's strange," I sigh. "It's hard to think back to a time before I was a psychic. I've changed so much as a person, that I think that I wouldn't even recognise myself. Like I'm not just a psychic. I'm  _bi_ and I have a  _boyfriend_. Like a year ago, the thought of being with a guy wouldn't even have entered my head. I thought being a psychic would be the worst thing that ever happened to me. But I was wrong, it's literally the best thing that's ever happened to me, ever. I reconnected with you, I found out I was bi, I got a boyfriend, I've made so many great friends. All of that, because I'm a psychic. It almost doesn't seem real."

"That didn't happen because you became a psychic." Yuuka has this tiny smile on her face.

"Then why did it happen?"

"Because you accepted yourself."

"What?"

"Kaoru, it took you three months to ask me for help. You accepted that you were a psychic. When you accept yourself, people get to see the real you. Then, people actually want to be your friend. You accepted yourself as queer, so you helped Takumi, and now he's your boyfriend." She sighs lightly. "See, none of that happened because you're a psychic."

"I suppose you're right." I feel myself starting to tear, and then I notice that Yuuka is too. "Thank you," I say patting her on the arm. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Kaoru," she says as she actually starts to cry. "I don't think you know how much that means to me. You've helped me so much, you don't even know. Not even just Team Liberation."

"Now I get to help you all over again." Yuuka bites her lip, clearly trying not to sob. "Since we're joining the police together."

"Yep, we're in this together." She puts up her hand for a fist bump, and I meet her halfway.

* * *

Finally, the day arrives where Yuuka and I get to begin police training. Takumi and Yusei try to go with us, but we decline. We want to start our careers the way we intend to continue them, together.

"You will not believe what Takumi told me the other day," Yuuka says once we park.

"What?"

"That I should for mayor." She shakes her head violently, though she is trying to get rid of her helmet hair. "Would you believe?"

"No, that's something Takumi would come up with." I nod slowly. "I'd believe that."

"You know what?" She scowls. "I bet he's only saying that to put the idea into my mind, and so I'll pick him as my running mate. Doesn't he know that I'd already have the perfect running mate?"

"Oh Yusei?" I ask.

"What?" She squints at me. "You know Yusei hates being in the spotlight. But no, who else would make a better running mate?" I go to answer, but Yuuka cuts me off and sighs. "No, don't answer that actually. Let me rephrase this. Who is the one honest optimistic person in my life? Who balances out my wild chaotic energy and actually grounds me? Who knows me better than I know myself? Who's the one person that actually will work hard to see this City become a better place? Who will do it the hard way, the  _honest_  way? Who else better than my own brother?"

I don't know what to say, so I just end staring at her.

"Kaoru," she punches my arm. "This is all just fantasy right now, but it's the truth. I think you'd do a great job."

"Thank you," is all I can muster. I take a deep breath. "That means a lot. But isn't that what we're doing here?" I point to the police headquarters, that we're still in the parking lot of. "Changing the system from the inside? The  _right_  way."

"Yeah," she smiles. "It'll be great practice."

"I haven't said yes yet."

"You haven't said no either."

"I'll  _think_  about it."

"Alright, alright." She chuckles. "Right, let's get inside for this induction day. I can't be late on the first day. Especially when everybody will already know exactly who I am."

"The marker doesn't help." She punches me in the arm for that.

Yuuka doesn't even say anything but starts to walk inside. I follow close behind, before eventually falling into line with her. I start to get nervous, but I brush it off. I have Yuuka by my side, so I don't need to worry. We're starting this the way we intend to continue,  _together_.

END


	12. You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Yusei Fudo  
> Summary: Third reunion's the charm.

"She's dead, Yusei. Just accept it."

I've heard those words so many times that I've just become immune to them. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months since Yuuka's disappearance. Kiryu is the first to lose hope that she'll return, Jack is soon to follow. But Crow still remains hopeful.

That is, until Kiryu gets arrested and dies in the Facility.

"Yusei, just give up. If she was in the Satellite, we would have found her. Besides, why would she leave us anyway? We asked Security, she never stepped foot in the Facility. Where else could she have gone? Yusei,  _please_. I can't watch you keep beating yourself up over her. She has to be dead, and you need to accept that."

"Crow, I'd know if she was dead. I know that I'd feel  _something_. She's out there, I know it."

"Where? Yusei, where?"

"The City," I answer. It's the one place we haven't been able to look. If anything, it would explain why I can't stop staring at the bright lights of the City as they peer through the dense fog that covers the Satellite. My heart is pulling me to the City, and I think I know why.

"Yusei," Crow sighs. I look to Jack who's remained silent this entire time. A look of realisation washes over his face. "Yusei, I can't watch you do this to yourself. Just give up already."

"I won't. She's alive, Crow. I just know it."

Crow just shakes his head slowly at me. Jack just keeps staring at the floor.

"Yusei, I can't do this." Crow starts to turn and walk away. "I got kids to take care of, ones that are  _alive_. I'll see you around, I guess."

That's the last time I see Crow for years. Jack betrays me not long after. He steals my D-Wheel and Stardust Dragon, heading off to the City  _for a greater purpose_. And with that, I'm left alone. Does he think Yuuka is there? As much as what he did hurts me, I hope he finds Yuuka alive. I wonder if she thinks about me, and everyone else. If only she knew how bad things have gotten.

I look out at the City every single night. I think of Jack who betrayed me, and has now been hailed the King of Dueling. I think of Yuuka who's probably so scared and alone. The City still calls out to me. I know Yuuka is there, so I have to go.

* * *

Well, turns out that going to the City turned into a shitshow. Now, I'm being forced to participate in a tournament to save my old friends while surrounded by new friends. On top of that, I'm somehow part of a great destiny, and I got marked, can't forget that. So much has happened in the last two weeks, I can barely comprehend it all. On top of that, I haven't seen a sign of Yuuka at all.

Well, that quickly changes.

"Yusei." A voice calls my name. It's soft, I can barely hear it over the noise of the crowd around me. My friends' eyes move further down from where we are in the audience section. My head turns to look.

I don't think I would have recognised her, if not for her eyes. That shade of pink is so distinctively  _her_ , that I've never seen another colour like it. Her light blonde hair is the longest I've ever seen it, even though it only reaches her collarbone. Her face no longer holds that innocence it once had. She looks hardened by the City, more mature. Her body is no longer thin and frail looking. She looks surprisingly sturdy and strong. Despite everything, I know it's Yuuka standing in front of me.

"Yuuka?" I manage to get out. "You're alive?" I never believed that she died, even for a second, but the words fall out of my mouth. I walk down a few steps, narrowing the gap between us.

"W-well yeah," she stutters and walks up steps, closing the gap. Yuuka is here in the City and standing right in front of me. Now that she's up close, I notice something that I've overlooked. An arrow shaped marker under Yuuka's right eye. "I got arrested and sent to the City." I think she notices me staring because she points to it. She moves her right arm to do it. I glance at her bare forearm, hoping to find a Signer mark. But there's nothing. It would have made sense, why I found Yuuka  _here_  of all places after years of looking.

She catches me staring. I have so many things to ask. What really happened to her? Why did she never come back if she's just been here all along? I try to say something, but I'm cut off by the look on Yuuka's face. She's staring off into the crowd, just a few rows down from us, looking absolutely terrified. All four people sitting at the edge of that row look very panicked.

"Okay, I really have to go. I'll see you around I guess." She smiles at me. That one awkward smile she uses to get out of things. I just nod. I don't know what else to do. I don't know why I don't say anything, do anything, or even just go after her. But, I let her run away. I think the shock is going to my head. I have to suppress a sigh.

"Yusei, who was that?" My friends ask.

"Just an old friend of mine."

* * *

My one encounter with Yuuka was so brief that I slowly begin to question if it was real. The twins tell me that Yuuka tried to find once I headed to the Satellite to fight the Dark Signers, and that she followed me. Only to be told shortly afterwards that a lot of people in the Satellite just disappeared in a  _mysterious fog_  which was mostly definitely created by the Dark Signers. The thought of that alone makes me want to puke on the spot. I only just found Yuuka again, and I may have just lost her again. The thought of that is one that I can't bear.

Things only get worse. I finally defeat Kiryu, and he turns into dust in my arms. At least we were able to make up before he died. At least he died at peace with himself. I keep telling myself these things but my anger towards the Dark Signers keeps building. I think of all of the people that they've hurt and used. Kiryu, Martha, Rally, so many others, and even Yuuka. When the control tower sinks into the ground, my Signer mark begins to glow again. The control tower sends a plume of dust into the air. It's so thick that I can't see a thing. My mark continues to glow. There's another Dark Signer, it tells me.  _I'm sorry I created that monster_ , Kiryu's words echo in my head.

As the dust settles, the Dark Signer begins to walk towards me. They're wearing the standard Dark Signer robes, except the lines are a very familiar shade of pink. Their mark is glowing bright violet on their arm, I can just about make it out to be in the shape of a bird.

"That mark?" I grab my own mark even tighter, trying to ease the searing pain. "Another Dark Signer! Who are you?"

"Looks like I was right." They begin to cackle. It reminds me of Kiryu's laugh, crazed and inhuman. They take their hood down slowly. Their eyes don't leave my face, giving me a shiver down my spine.

No.

No, this can't be right.

This has to be a sick joke.

It's impossible.

"You really did forget about me." Yuuka puts a finger to her lips. Her eyes are so wide, taking in everything. The blackness of her eyes is so unsettling.

"What? No!" I scream. "Yuuka, why are you a Dark Signer?"

I can't believe it. Have I really lost Yuuka? One of us has to die, that's how it works. Either Yuuka dies, or I do. For all the talk I've heard about fate, why did it have to be so cruel?

"Yuuka?" Crow calls out. I had nearly forgotten that my friends are watching. Yuuka looks over at him. Her eyes are so cold. She scoffs and ignores him. She just ignored  _Crow_ , one of her best friends, who she hasn't seen in years.

"Isn't it obvious, Yusei?" She continues, not even saying a word to Crow. "I'm here to finish what Kiryu started." She laughs again, but it's  _cruel_. The Yuuka I knew was never cruel, she was kind. "After I got arrested, you forgot about me and left me to rot in the City." The light of her mark begins to flicker and start to grow even stronger. "The only reason you even went to the City was your own selfish gain. Are you happy now,  _King_? You're the reason I'm like this!" Her eyes have even started to glow purple.

"Yuuka, no! It's not what you think!" She's wrong, she's all wrong. I didn't want power. I only wanted to find her. I searched everywhere for her. I never stopped looking.

"Enough!" She interrupts me before I can say anymore. If only I could get her to believe me. I know from Kiryu that this will be no easy task. "There's only one way to settle this." She holds up her duel disk. I take a deep breath, say nothing, and get my duel disk from my D-Wheel. Once I turn back to her, she's taken off her cape and has activated her duel disk. As soon as I activate mine, the  _all too familiar_ purple flames appear and spread out, forming the pattern of her geoglyph.

I try to think of something to say. But nothing comes to mind. I feel like someone has stabbed me in the gut and sucked all of the air from my lungs.

"Duel!" We chant together. Yuuka cackles again. I know how this duel will end. It's either her or me. I don't know which outcome is worse.

"I'll go first," she says with a maniacal smile. "It's only fair after all." She summons a weaker monster and sets two cards. She's clearly up to something. It's only a matter of time before she summons her Earthbound Immortal.

I begin my turn. I can't help but stare at her. Even though I know she's dead, she still looks so beautiful. Can I really bring myself to hurt her? The one person I've been looking for. I manage to Synchro Junk Archer, but I don't use its effect to attack her directly. I, instead, just take out her monster.

"Yuuka!" I call out to her. "Why did you become a Dark Signer?" She lowers the hand she was about to draw with. Her face hardens from stoic to pure anger.

"I told you. You forgot about me while I rotted in the City. I was alone and afraid, all while you were having your Team Satisfaction adventures! Oh no, wait." A sadistic smile creeps onto her face. "You sold Kiryu out, so there's no more Team Satisfaction."

"You're wrong! I didn't sell Kiryu out. He attacked Security by himself and got arrested!" Yuuka's eyes widen ever so slightly. "And I-" I catch myself, " _we_  never stopped looking for you!"

"That's a lie! You only went to the City in search of power!" Tears are starting to form in her eyes. "When you saw me at the Fortune Cup, you just stood there and said nothing. Of course, why wouldn't you? You pushed me to the back of your mind and completely forgot about me until I appeared in front of you!" Yuuka takes a shaky breath before taking her turn, in which she only sets a monster.

"No, you're wrong, Yuuka! I didn't go to the City for power. I always believed you were alive. I searched for you in every place I could."

"No! Stop lying! Kiryu told me that you all stopped looking for me, that you didn't care." She's only sounding more and more distraught as she speaks. Her crazed facade is slowly fading.

I feel a pang in my chest just looking at her. What has she gone through, all alone in that City? The fact she doesn't believe me only makes it hurt more. After how many times that I denied she was dead. After how I never lost hope. Only to find her, and lose her again just as soon as I found her.

"I'm going to get through to you, Yuuka." I take my next turn. All I can bear to do is attack her set card. If I just keep attacking her monsters, instead of attacking directly, maybe I'll get through to her before she summons her Earthbound Immortal.

For the second turn in a row, I've avoided attacking her directly. Yuuka narrows her eyes in suspicion. She sets another monsters, and ends her turn.

"Yusei," she calls out with hesitation, "is what you said true?" Her eyes are slowly widing.

"It is," I nod. She bites her lip. Am I starting to get through to her?

On my next turn, I summon Shield Warrior and attack her directly, after using Junk Archer to attack her set card.

"Not so fast!" She shouts, cutting off my direct attack. A wicked grin spreads across her face. Her eyes have the slightest purple tint. She activates a trap that Special Summons two tokens to her field, and add an Earthbound Immortal to her hand.

"I end my turn," I say reluctantly. She has everything she needs now. It is really is the beginning of the end now.

"Yusei?" She calls out to me again. Her voice is soft, just like it's supposed to be. "Did Kiryu really lie to me? He said that you became power-hungry and that's why you sold out Team Satisfaction and stole Jack's title."

"That's all lies."

"I see," she mutters into the air. Her entire body slumps. I hear the slightest muffle of a cry. Then, her mark begins to glow. It's so harsh that my own mark is reacting to it. When she looks back up, her entire eye, including the black parts, are glowing a bright violet. She activates a Field Spell. It covers the field in a shroud of darkness. The only thing I can see around me is the bright purple flames, creating our arena.

" _O dark deity who will bring forth ultimate destruction! Take these souls to fulfil our dark purpose! Advent, Earthbound Immortal Hawa Lluta!_ " The voice that summons the Earthbound Immortal doesn't sound like Yuuka's. It sounds like that another voice is layered on top of hers. Her Earthbound Immortal finally appears. A giant vulture made of shadows screeches as it flies above us. It's the size of an entire skyscraper. " _Hawa Lluta! Attack Yusei directly!_ "

As the Earthbound Immortal gets ready to attack me, I notice that Yuuka is looking away. I close my eyes, letting it hit me. The force of the attack knocks me to the ground. It feels like it's tearing me apart on the inside.

My eyes open again slowly. I give myself a quick glance over. That can't be right. The Earthbound Immortal must have only grazed my shoulder. The jacket is torn and I see raw red underneath. Aside from the cuts lining my arm and face, I'm unharmed.

_Does she not want to kill me?_  I think to myself. I look at Yuuka as I stand back up again. Her hands are trembling, just like they do when she's nervous. She meets my eyes. The look in her eyes hurts me more than that attack. She's pleading for help, even if that means certain death.

"I'll save you, Yuuka!" A small smile spreads across her face. Her eyes and mark stops glowing, just for a second, before burning even stronger. So, I've gotten through to her…

"Please Yusei, end this duel! Just don't let me activate my face-down,  _please_!" The glowing of her mark and eyes stop completely.

I use Junk Archer's effect to remove her Earthbound Immortal from play this turn, and so, attack her directly. As her life points hit 0, she's thrown back onto the ground with a thud.

"Yuuka!" I cry out as I run. The flames and darkness around us has disappeared. Her body tries to move towards me, but fails. I cradle her in my arms. Her mouth forms a little  _o_  shape, once she realises that I'm shaking.

I try to say something, anything. The last time I said nothing, we wound up in this mess. I just don't want to believe it. I've spent years looking for her, only for her to die in my arms after finding her. The Dark Signers used her against me, and it nearly worked. It was a cruel, cruel trick and now, Yuuka is paying the price.

"I'm so sorry, Yusei. I didn't want this to happen." Tears begin to stream down her face. Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper. I'm losing her so quickly. I go to say something, but she barely lifts her hand, interrupting me. "I don't hate you, Yusei." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She uses what little energy she has left to wrap her arms around my neck, hugging me. "I really did love you, Yusei. But, it doesn't matter now because it's too late." What? This can't be happening. Yuuka only begins to cry harder. I feel her tears dripping onto my jacket. "My time is up, Yusei." She lets out a soft sob. "Thank you Yusei, for everything."

Yuuka disintegrates slowly, her words ringing in my ear. I hold her until there's nothing left.

"Yuuka…" I whisper into the air. "I love you too."

* * *

"She's dead, Yusei. Just accept it."

Crow's words are softer this time. It's been three months since we faced the Dark Signers, and Yuuka is the only one that hasn't returned.

"Yusei, if she didn't appear with everyone else, you know that means that she…" Crow can never bring himself to say more than that. He watched us duel. He knows that she was alive before then. It was one of the first things that I told him when I arrived back in the Satellite.

"Crow," I respond, "I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I would feel it if Yuuka died. I know she's out there somewhere."

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up and spend the rest of your life looking for her when she ain't out there." With that, the conversation ends.

One day, when I'm home alone, the phone rings. I pick it up. This isn't unusual. "Hey, is this Yusei Fudo, the handyman?" That's mostly because I've become a handyman to earn some money to feed myself.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Is this the same Yusei Fudo that won the Fortune Cup?"

"Yes," I answer bluntly. Fame isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Right, I need you to fix something." The caller changes the topic completely.

"What do you need fixing?"

"Well, it's more of a  _someone that needs help_."

"I'm not sure that I-"

"Does the name Yuuka mean anything to you?"

"Yuuka?"

"Blonde hair, pink eyes, marker under her right eye?" I freeze completely.

"Who is this?"

"I'm a friend of hers, Shinji."

"What's wrong with her, Shinji? And why did you call  _me_  about it?" I have a very sure guess, but I need to find out how much she knows.

"She sent to the Satellite to find you three months ago, only to come back and fall into a state of depression. I don't know what happened, but I know you have something to do with it. I think you're the only person who can help her."

"I know what's wrong with her." I sigh into the phone. The guilt is eating her alive. It's doing the same to me. I can't sleep knowing that I made into a Dark Signer, even if I didn't know it then. Maybe if I had followed my instincts a little sooner, I could have stopped all of this. Yuuka would be sitting beside me instead of somewhere alone.

"Okay, are you able to meet tomorrow around six?"

"I am, where?"

"A little shop called Flagship Boutique."

"That name is familiar." It clicks in my head. "That's only a five minute walk from where I am."

"Don't go there until we meet. Yuuka doesn't know that I'm calling you."

"Alright." I throw my head back onto the back of the couch. "I'll see you then." I hang up without much of a goodbye. I sigh deeply. So she's been hiding, in a state of depression? I wonder if she's been hiding in plain sight. I wonder if I really did catch of glimpse of Yuuka that day. Jack and Crow didn't believe me. Now, I think I was right, and that she ran away from us. Well, now, she doesn't have that option. Yuuka can't run away anymore.

* * *

I arrive at the Flagship Boutique. There's a duel going on. I find Shinji watching the duel. He's not hard to miss. Taller than Jack, with tanned skin, and swept back brown hair. He points to the duel silently, and I turn to watch it.

"Judgement Dragon attacks you directly." Her opponent calls out. The attack sends a wind through the courtyard, and knocks Yuuka on her back. Is her opponent a psychic duelist like Aki? She gives a thumbs-up to her opponent, saying that she's okay. She gets back on her feet and lets out a big sigh.

Then, we meet eyes across the courtyard. Yuuka's face immediately dissolves into panic. She shakes her head violently and continues the duel.

"Well, she knows you're here now." Shinji says with a sigh.

"Is her opponent a psychic?" I ask. I remember my duels with Aki, they're too dangerous if she doesn't know what she's doing.

"Yep, there's this whole thing going on. Kaoru's a psychic and they're dueling because if he wins, she has to help him control his powers."

"Kaoru?" I echo.

"Yeah, her brother."

"Her  _brother_?"

"Okay," Shinji says with wide eyes, "forget I said anything. You can ask Yuuka herself. There's too much to explain."

Yuuka is only becoming more and more of an enigma to me. Once Yuuka got arrested in the Satellite, the rest of her life becomes a mystery.

"You said that Yuuka would have to help Kaoru control his powers if he won." Shinji nods. He looks uneasy. "That implies that Yuuka would know something about that. Are you saying that Yuuka is a psychic duelist?"

"Okay, I can tell you that." Shinji shrugs. "Yes, she is."

Knowing this literally does not change anything. It would maybe explain why Yuuka felt so alone in the City, being a marked psychic.

Then, the duel ends with Yuuka getting attacked directly and falling to the ground again. Luckily, she doesn't seem too hurt.

"Don't get smart with me. Even if you walk away, that's still breaking our deal." Kaoru says as he holds out a hand for her to take to get up.

"I didn't say that out loud." The both of them go completely silent as they stare at each other.

Shinji, and the tanned girl with him, run over to Yuuka and Kaoru. "What's going on?" He asks.

"We can hear each other's thoughts." Yuuka answers bluntly. This situation is only becoming more and more complicated.

"What? But that's impossible! We've met proper telepaths that couldn't read your thoughts." Shinji looks as about as confused as I do.

"I know that."

"Telepaths?" The girl, whose name I still don't know, asks. "But I thought psychics just materialised duel monsters." Yuuka glances at me, but doesn't say anything to me. Her face is completely unreadable.

"Most psychics," Yuuka back at the girl. "Some psychics have powers beyond that. Some can read auras, some heal quicker, others can talk to spirits and very few are telepaths." Yuuka looks around the circle of people that she's in the middle of, before turning to Kaoru. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well-"

"Actually, you should sit down." She says quickly, pointing to the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. "Using your powers like that tires you out, I don't want you fainting on me." They make their way over to the fountain.

"I'm sorry about this," Shinji says once they're far away enough. "This wasn't exactly planned. Kaoru kinda showed up out of nowhere."

"So, Kaoru is Yuuka's brother?"

"Biological brother," he sighs. "She likes to make that distinction."

"I think I know why," I respond. Jack is the one coming to mind. They were as close to a brother and sister that you could get in the Satellite. Yuuka used to make this joke that if Jack was Asian, they'd actually look like siblings.

"Oh." The girl beside us finally pipes up. "You don't know me then. I'm Emiko Higashiyama" She sticks out her hand to shake, I reluctantly return the gesture. "I'm Kaoru's best friend, and I was Yuuka's before… well, I'll let her explain that."

"This must be so confusing, I'm sorry." Shinji chuckles awkwardly. "Yuuka calls her a trainwreck for a reason."

"Black Flag?" Kaoru's voice suddenly raises, grabbing all of our attention. "You mean the biggest duel gang in the City? How are you involved with them?" Shinji visibly begins to panic. He begins to walk over to him. Emiko and I follow, not really having another option.

"You see, here's the thing." Shinji says as he reaches them. "You're looking at the leader of one of the biggest duel gangs in the City." He has this big smirk on his face that makes Yuuka sigh. Yuuka, a duel gang leader? Is that why she looks a lot stronger than she did back in the Satellite, where she was too weak to join Team Satisfaction?

"I'm not the  _leader_ , so to say, it's more of a figurehead position."

"Yuuka, is that true?" Emiko speaks up.

"Yeah, but that's not important."

"Yeah  _right_!" Kaoru is clearly very angry. "Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you got yourself hurt?" I can't bring myself to feel that way, even though I know in any situation, I would. Is that why Yuuka didn't seem phased by dueling a psychic duelist?

"I know what the job entails. Didn't I tell you that it's dangerous to be around me? Now, you know why." Yuuka glances at me, looking very uncomfortable. She crosses her arms, not before I notice how badly her hands are shaking. She finally stops staring at me, with a shiver.

There's a pause. Kaoru and Yuuka are staring at each other. Is this the telepathy at work?

"Hey, do you guys wanna go get food or something? It would be better than standing out here." Kaoru asks. I would have said it was out of the blue, except for the fact that Yuuka and Kaoru were staring at each other intently right before this. Shinji and Emiko agree quickly. Kaoru raises an eyebrow at Yuuka.

"Nah, I'm going to head home." Yuuka glances back at me, her eyes quickly move away, pointing in the direction out of the courtyard.

"I'll walk you home," I cut in. Yuuka looks pleased, since I got the message. Shinji also looks glad, but he hides his smile with a cough.

"Right, I'll talk to you all later." Yuuka immediately turns on my heels and begins to walk away, I follow close behind.

We walk in silence for a while. I have no idea where we're going. I'm just following Yuuka's lead. We pass by Poppo Time, my new apartment that I share with Jack and Crow. I only pray that they don't see us passing by. That's not what Yuuka needs right now.

Finally, Yuuka sighs and turns to look at me. "We need to talk."

"We do," I answer. So many emotions are washing over her face now. It's like the facade she had in front of everyone else has vanished.

"I know the place." Yuuka begins to walk faster, but it's not hard to keep up. She leads us to the park. It's completely dark outside now, so the park is only light by the street lamps. She finds us a park bench, not too far from the lake in the center of the park. I notice her eyes looking around, trying to see if anyone could listen in on our conversation. But it's a cold December evening and that's not necessary. I feel silly out here. I wonder how Yuuka feels considering she's only in a short dress and waistcoat. I consider giving her my jacket, but she doesn't seem bothered much.

I find myself staring at Yuuka's eyes. She still looks like she did back then. But her eyes are harsher, and not just because of the dark bags under them.

"Honestly, I have no idea where to start." Yuuka offers up a nervous smile. She rubs over her arms, despite the fact she doesn't look cold at all. She gets a shiver, but there's no goosebumps on her arms.

"Who were you dueling earlier? Shinji told me that his name is Kaoru." I start with an easy question, even though I know the answer.

"That was my brother."

"Your brother?" Now for the real niggling question. Yuuka's mother died in the Satellite, and she never knew her father. How does she have a brother that looks the same age as her. "But I thought-" I get cut off.

"Well, turns out that the woman I thought was my mother wasn't actually my mother, and I've had family in the City the whole time." The look on Yuuka's face is a little too melancholy.

"Really? That's great."

"Not really," she sighs, "being from the Satellite and a psychic in this City aren't exactly good traits to have. I never really got along with my birth mother, so I left." She shrugs her shoulders. I can't tell that she's trying to feel those emotions. "That's why I ran away from you at the Fortune Cup. I saw my brother and I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Yuuka, it's ok-" I get cut off again.

"No!" Yuuka's voice suddenly raises. I'm actually a little taken aback. "Don't you understand? If I hadn't run away then, I wouldn't have gone to the Satellite looking for you." She almost looks scared. "I wouldn't have let myself believe Kiryu's lies. I wouldn't have," tears start to well up in her eyes, "I wouldn't have become a Dark Signer!" There it is, she's finally said those words out loud. She can't even look at me. She just looks at her clenched up fists in her lap. "I'm so sorry." Her shoulders begin to tremble. "I ruined everything. It's all my fault." Her fists unclench slowly as tears start to drop onto them. Her hands are almost vibrating, they're shaking that badly. More tears start to fall. She continues shaking. She presses her hands together to stop them shaking.

So, I do what I always did. I hold her hands in mine. The shaking stops, just a little. Her head whips up. Parts of her hair stick to her wet face. Her pink eyes are so wide. She looks so scared and helpless, just like she always did back then. I get a strong pang of nostalgia, and I think she did too.

"No, you didn't." I say as her hands have already started to steady. "It's okay, I forgive you." She lets out a breath that she's clearly been holding. Her face flushes ever so slightly, but I don't know if that's just the cold. She bites her lip.

"You do, but I don't think I can forgive myself." She exhales through her nose. "Besides, why did you show up today? I know it wasn't a coincidence that you just happened to be there."

"Your friend Shinji got in touch with me. He said that you were having some trouble, and he thought that I was the only person that could help." She barely nods. "You're lucky to have friends like that."

"I suppose you're right." A small smile creeps onto her face. "Though, I've always had good friends." She meets my eyes again, only for a small blush to spread across her face. "Enough about me, have you seen much of Jack and Crow lately?"

"Actually, we've found a place in the City and we're living together again."

"Wow, it must feel like the good ol' days." There's a glimpse of hesitation in Yuuka's eyes. "That must be nice."

"Yeah, but it's still not same." I give Yuuka a half-hearted smile, and she gives me one straight back. I suppose living with Jack and Crow is  _nice_. We don't have to pay rent, which is good. But we're once as close as brothers, now we're just feel like roommates. I think we all expected it to be just like old times, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

We dissolve slowly back into a silence. Yuuka stares at the starless sky, like she's done so many times before. You can see the stars so much more often in the City than in the Satellite, but I guess that the thick smog didn't help. I always thought Yuuka must have enjoyed it. I've lost count of how many times Yuuka snuck away to the roof of the Team Satisfaction base to stargaze, even if there was nothing there. I used to join her, just lie there, and we'd talk about the future, if we ever made to the City, what would we do. Now that we're here, it doesn't feel real. Neither of us are where we intended to be.

I wonder if she remembers what she said before she died. She told me that she loved me, and implied that she always did. Yet, she's here acting like it never happened. I keep waiting for her to say something, but she doesn't. Did she not mean it? Was it just a slip of the tongue while death was fast approaching?

"We should probably get out of the cold," I suggest. Yuuka merely nods. My brain keeps spinning as we walk back. A lot of things doesn't seem to add up. Yuuka remembers being a Dark Signer, but doesn't remember the  _I love you_ , which is quite crucial?

"How are Jack and Crow?" She asks. I tell her the basic situation. Jack and Crow still fight constantly, very loudly and too near me for my liking. Jack won't get a job, probably because his only skill that can be made into a job is dueling, and underground tournaments are  _beneath_  him. Yuuka seems amused by this. I suppose she doesn't have to live with it. That, and she can have an argument going on around her and  _not_  be burdened with horrific anxiety. Anytime one of them as much as raises their voice, I start to block them out.

"You should come over sometime," I say quickly once we reach her apartment building, which looks fairly rundown. A fear builds up inside me that I'll never see her again. After having her die the last two times I've seen her, I feel like, for once, my anxiety is justified. "I'm sure Jack and Crow would be happy to see you." I add, just to make it seem more reasonable.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiles. "I want to see them too." There's a pause, Yuuka begins to look vaguely panicked. "Wait, do you know how to get back from here?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Where we're living isn't too far from where you work." Yuuka looks very surprised, but brushes it off quickly.

"Oh good, well, goodnight then." Yuuka begins to turn to walk away, but quickly turns back.

"Goodnight," I nod slightly before walking away. Before I turn, I notice the smile growing on Yuuka's face. I think our talk has done her some good. I imagine that's the most she's smiled in a long time, by the sounds of it. The streets are quiet as I walk back, but I feel perfectly at peace. Yuuka's alive, and that's enough for me.

* * *

Yuuka coming over for lunch goes surprisingly well. I think it's the first meal that Jack, Crow and I have had together in the last three months. I realised that this might actually go well when I heard Yuuka laughing in the kitchen with Crow, where they were both making lunch. Yuuka was keeled over laughing about how she's finally taller than Crow, which she has never been before. It's then I realised how tall Yuuka's actually. She's barely shorter than me, when before, she could easily fit under my chin. It's strange to think of how much she's changed.

The conversation is pleasant. The conversation starts to veer towards what happened to Yuuka while she was in the City, after she mentioned getting a D-Wheel licence from Duel Academy of all places, but she dodges it completely. I think Jack and Crow stopped pressing because she starts to look overwhelmed. I change the topic of conversation to keep the heat off her. She already got emotional explaining it to me. The rest of her visit goes well.

As soon as the door closes behind her, Jack and Crow immediately turns their attention to me. "Where did you find her?" "Does she remember?" They ask simultaneously.

"She does remember most of it," I answer first. "A friend of hers got in touch with me. The guilt is eating her alive."

There's a pause. Both of them seem deep in thought.

"What's going to happen?" Crow asks.

"I don't know what you mean. Hopefully, we'll see Yuuka around here often. But I don't think any more than that will come of this."

"I just thought that she would-"

"Live with us?" I finish. "Crow, this is a three bedroom apartment. As much as I'd like that too, it won't happen. You don't know this, but Yuuka has an entire life here. She has her own apartment and everything. It's just as hard for me as it is for you."  _If not harder_ , I think to myself. "Four years is a long time."

* * *

Shinji calls me the next afternoon. He sounds panicked, so my anxiety shoots through the roof.  _Yuuka tried to leave Black Flag and dueled Raiden, and now she's in the hospital. You should probably come over._  His words only make me more nervous. Is Yuuka really going to die again? Jack and Crow overhear me on the phone so they come along. On the way, I have to explain who Kaoru is. Because I know he's there. Their reaction to him would never be considered warm. I think they're still adjusting to the fact that Yuuka is different than she was before. Shinji keeps the details vague about what happened. He is well aware of the fact that Jack and Crow still don't know about Black Flag, or that Yuuka is a psychic. Once Yuuka is out of surgery, they don't allow visitors since she's just out of surgery and in the Intensive Care Unit. I decide to stay in the hospital. It feels wrong having no one in the hospital for her when she's like this. I'm still waiting around when they finally decide to let me in.

She's breathing, which is a plus. Everything else seems to be a negative. She seems deathly pale against the white sheets. Almost every inch of skin I can see is covered in bandages, except for her face, which just has minor cuts. It's harrowing. She seems like she's right on the verge of death. I stay the night, and manage to sleep in the uncomfortable armchair beside her bed. In the morning, Shinji arrives at the hospital, telling me to go home.

"You've been here all night, don't lie to me." I nod, because there's no point in lying.

The doctors say that Yuuka is completely fine, although she did need a blood donation from Kaoru. Nothing seems to be wrong, but she refuses to wake up from her coma, that's what the doctors are calling it now. She stays in that coma for a week.

Kaoru and I make this unspoken rule that I visit in the mornings, he takes the evenings, and that lets everyone else visit in between. Jack and Crow visit a lot, trying to make me go home. I see Shinji and his girlfriend. Another girl with purple hair who Shinji tells me is Anako. But on the sixth day, a giant bouquet of flowers arrives and no one knows who sent them. Everyone assumed it was me, which is wrong. Am I that obvious?

Yes, I remind myself as I sit in the uncomfortable chair for the seventh day in a row.

She wakes on the seventh day, not too long after Kaoru arrived. He calls me to the hospital as they're discharging her there and then. Kaoru thinks Yuuka shouldn't stay by herself in her apartment while she's recovering. He has a fair point. She's limping and seems fairly out of it. I offer to let her stay with me. I barely sleep in my own bed, preferring the couch after working into the night on my D-Wheel. Not that I sleep much anyway. Yuuka seems genuinely surprised by the offer. She arrives in a taxi with Kaoru since she would absolutely not be able to ride on the back of my D-Wheel in her condition. I'm already home when she knocks. I don't know why she knocks. She is technically living here short term. Crow and Jack instantly descend on her to ask questions, about her injuries, nothing about how they happened. We start talking about the living situation since I maybe only told them five minutes ago that she would be staying at least for a few days. We agree that her staying in my room is the best bet, and that I'm sleeping in my normal spot, the couch. By the time we wrap up the conversation, we notice that Yuuka has dozed off on the couch. You think being in a coma for a week would make you well-rested, but I suppose not.

"Yuuka, you can stay in my room if you want." I say, looking up from behind my D-Wheel once I hear her stir.

"Oh no," her voice sounds groggy, "don't worry I can sleep on the couch."

"You're just out of the hospital, you need to rest." She makes a face and perks right up.

"I'm okay here, I can rest just fine on this couch." I open my mouth but she talks right over me. "Besides I'd have to climb that ladder. I don't have the energy to do that right now, and with my ankle as it is right now, I couldn't climb it anyway." And my mouth closes right back up. No one out of the three of us thought of that. I guess we've grown so used to the ladder that leads to all the bedrooms that we fail to notice it anymore.

I suppose it's alright to let her sleep on the couch. Jack and Crow are silently sitting on different sides of the kitchen upstairs, clearly listening in on our conversation.

"Are you seriously letting her sleep on the couch?" Jack asks.

"Do you think Yuuka would let you carry her up that ladder?" I point at it.

"As much as I hate to agree with Jack," Crow pauses, "I agree with Jack."

"Why can't you agree with Jack on literally anything else?"

"Don't dodge this." He responds back, quick as lightning.

"Listen," I sigh, "Yuuka is very tired. You know how stubborn she is-"

"You just can't say no to her." Jack butts in. "Always have."

"Can we please-" I try to beg.

"What's going on anyway between you two?" Crow asks.

"I'm getting her a blanket and pillow. She's sleeping on the couch tonight. If anyone wants to change that, they can convince Yuuka themselves  _and_  carry her up the ladder."

"Here you go," I say once I get back down into the garage, handing the blanket and pillow to Yuuka. I can't believe she really got me to let her sleep on the couch, when she's in the condition. I can't argue with her, she's got a fair point. But I'm also giving her exactly what she wants, and yet, I can't say no to her. She stands up to take them. She smiles softly, before setting them down on the couch. She wraps her arms around my neck and into a hug that I'm not ready for. She rests her chin on my shoulder. I'm very overwhelmed but I manage to wrap my arms around her in my panic. She has been this close to me in so long, well, when she wasn't dying. She's so much more sturdier now. Now, she fits comfortably in my arms. When before, I could nearly wrap my arms around her twice.

"You worry too much," she says softly.

"I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried there." Somehow, it's easier to say when I'm not looking at her face. I feel my emotions are constantly doing a bungee jump. I keep having to face the idea that Yuuka might be dead, but then she appears alive, only for her to face death again. It's tiring. But I still won't let go of the idea that she will be okay, no matter what. It keeps me sane.

Yuuka pulls back from the hug with a smile on her face. "I'm sturdy now remember. It'll take more than that to take me out." I pull back from the hug too. Her face drops. I'm just picturing Yuuka fading to dust in my arms over and over, just like in my dreams. Maybe a collapsed building won't kill her, but this Signer stuff will. She smiles at me with an eyebrow raised, but still the sleepiness in her face can't be denied. She tried to make me feel better, but failed horribly. I can't help but smile back.

"Goodnight Yuuka." I say, still smiling. She looks like she might fall asleep on the spot, and she looks far cuter than she should. I start moving backwards, I suppose no more late nights while Yuuka's here.

"You're not finished what you're doing." She points at my D-Wheel. "Don't worry about me, you can keep working."

"Are you sure?" Is this allowed? If she says it's okay, I suppose it is.

"Yeah, go on." She nods. "It won't bother me." She takes off her jacket and throws it on the back of the couch, and places her shoes by the edge of the couch. She places her pillow at the end of the couch and lies down under the blanket. Despite being on the opposite side of my D-Wheel to her, I can still see her head on the couch. I can tell she's trying to watch me work, but her eyes are already drooping.

"Goodnight," I say softly. I look at her, not even a second later, to find her asleep.

* * *

"So Yuuka's homeless?" Crow asks after I explain the situation to them. "Because she was in a coma and couldn't pay rent. So, she's staying with us?"

"Pretty much."

"Are you going to make her sleep in your room now that this is a bit more permanent?" His eyes narrow.

"I tried that," I sigh. "How do you think that went?"

" _I don't want to be a bother_." Crow tries to do his Yuuka impression, which has always been bad and over-exaggerated.

"If she hears you doing that impression, she'll kill you."

"Hold on a second," Jack is scowling at me. "You knew Yuuka was in a gang?"

"It came up." Jack blinks at me in surprise.

"And you didn't do anything? You know we kept her out of Team Satisfaction for a reason. She got kidnapped by the Fear Unit, you remember that."

"I do-"

"And now this?"

"Jack," I sigh. "Things are different now. She's not scrawny anymore. Not to mention, she's a psychic duelist. I don't think gang warfare was a problem for her."

"But some asshole was?"

"Something was up there." I feel my eyes narrow. "Whenever he gets brought up, Yuuka actually tenses."

"I don't like this." Jack says.

"Neither do I, but there's nothing we can do."

"Have you guys noticed something?" Crow asks after a pause. He gets our attention. "Yuuka is acting really weird. Like when-"

"Crow, I hate to break it to you, but that's how she is now. It's not just us that she's acting weird around."

* * *

"So you're harbouring a former Dark Signer?" Aki asks, after arriving the one time Yuuka isn't home. I haven't seen her in a while, not since she's decided to go back to Duel Academy.

"Yes." Her face hardens. "You shouldn't be so quick to judge. She's sorry for what she did."

"It's not that." Her voice goes very quiet. "I just thought you would have said something sooner." There it is. I'm slowly starting to suspect that Aki is infatuated with me. I try to ignore that tiny fact, because I know that I'll never feel the same way.

"I'm sorry about that," I reply. "She makes this place a bit more… lively. You'll understand when you meet her."

"Will I?"

"Aki," I say gently. "She really needs a friend right now." Her face finally falls. "She's not that different from you. From what I've heard, you and her could have very easily swapped places."

"I can't say no to that, can I? I can't turn my back on someone like me."

* * *

Yuuka and Aki's meeting is awkward to say the least. Turns out they vaguely knew each other in Duel Academy, something that I should have seen coming given everything else that's happened. It takes Yuuka a while to come out of her shell, as I expected. But Yuuka and Aki become better friends than everyone expected. However, Jack and Crow still look at her with wary eyes.

Until one day, we suddenly hear Jack coughing in the kitchen. I notice Yuuka immediately lifting her book so it covers the entirety of her face, something instantly recognisable.

"Crow!" He screams at the top of his lungs. "Did you swap the sugar and salt? The  _one_  time I decide to make my own goddamn fucking coffee."

"Why the  _fuck_  would I do that? You can literally see me making tea."

"Wait a fucking minute." There's a pause, and footsteps on the stairs. I duck behind my D-Wheel. Why do they have to be so loud? "Yuuka." Jack's voice is flat, but he is definitely pissed.

"Yes?" Yuuka lowers her book, the faintest smile on her face. Jack just keeps frowning at her.

"You swapped the salt and the sugar, didn't you?"

"I've been down here all day,  _Jackypoo_. Yusei can tell you that." I glance at the recently emptied coffee cup by her feet. I make myself look busy. I don't think either of them have spotted the cup.

" _Sure_  you have." Jack pulls Yuuka up off the couch and into a noogie. "Thought you could trick me again? You got me with the sharpie, but not this time?" I notice that Yuuka's not struggling much, but instead is laughing for once. Her book has fallen onto the couch, long forgotten.

"Crow, did you rat me out? Fucking tattletale!" Yuuka starts to struggle, vaguely moving in the direction of Crow.

"I suppose that's enough,  _for now_." Jack smirks while letting Yuuka go.

"If this book wasn't borrowed from Emiko, I swear," she glares in Jack and Crow's direction while holding said book up. "This would be going straight for your heads."

"Yuuka, that's not how that works." Crow smugly shakes his head.

"Oh, I'll find a way, don't worry." She chuckles darkly. "Smack your heads together and thrash you both, simple." She turns her attention back to the book, now closed after falling from her hands. "I've lost my place in my book, so don't fucking tempt me, cause I'll do it." She sits back on the couch with a thump.

"Welcome back," Jack says with a smirk before leaving. Yuuka looks after him in confusion. As soon as we're in the room alone again, she lets out a chuckle.

"What?" I pipe up.

"Oh, it's nothing." There's a small smile creeping onto her face. "I just missed this. For once, it actually kinda felt like old times."

"And all it took was some salty coffee." Our eyes meet and she laughs.

The way her face wrinkles is just the same way it did all that time ago. She laughs like there's not a care in the world. There's still a softness to her eyes, despite how furrowed her brow gets. Jack and Crow say she's a million miles away from how she was back then. Underneath that tough exterior, so broken down from everything, she's still that wide-eyed girl who stared into the smog, hoping for stars.


	13. A Step Too Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character: Yusei Fudo  
> Summary: One step too far.

"Yuuka, I'm sorry  _please_." I grab her hand, but she doesn't react. "This is all my fault. Just please open your eyes."

I sit in the silence of the hospital room with her. I haven't moved in hours. Since I got in here, in fact. Yuuka collapsed while having a panic attack, and here we are. She refuses to open her eyes and look at me. I know she can hear me. Her eyes flicker even though they aren't open. I felt her warm under my touch. I know why she's like this, and it's my fault.

It's only been a matter of hours since the Ark Cradle, exactly the number for which Yuuka's been unconscious. I made a promise, and I broke it. I promised Yuuka that I would return alive. Although, we're both alive right now, neither of us planned on that.

I thought sacrificing myself to save the City was the right thing, even if it meant letting her down. In those moments when the Ark Cradle became crumbling to pieces, that seemed like the only option. So, I began to drive my D-Wheel towards the core of the Ark Cradle, trying to stop it from destroying the City. Then, Yuuka appeared and tried to swap places with me. Until Z-One appeared, with the other Yuuka, and threw himself into the core of the Ark Cradle. He sacrificed himself for us, so that we could create the future that they never had.

Now, I'm here, alive, and the more I stare at Yuuka's face, the less I believe that there's a happy future waiting for us.

I've ruined everything, plain and simple. Sure, the City is still standing and we're alive, but at what cost?

I squeeze Yuuka's hand again. Nothing. Will she ever forgive me? It doesn't feel like it. She's refusing to look at me. Maybe that's because she's afraid she'll open her eyes and see Z-One. The man I became once upon another lifetime.

It doesn't feel real. None of it does. I blamed myself for the Zero Reverse, because of who my father was, as much as Yuuka stood by the fact I shouldn't. Now, I've learned that myself in another lifetime was really the one who caused it. I was right all along. It was my fault.

As I am right now, what makes me different from Z-One? I can't answer that. The way it looks now, I might as well be Z-One himself.

I sigh, finally get up from the chair which I haven't left in hours. My joints ache. Yuuka has been officially discharged, and is free to leave. I can hear the whispers of people just outside the door. If she won't wake up with me there, maybe Aki can do it.

After I open the door, Aki wordlessly enters. I can't bring myself to say anything, so I just close the door behind me.

"What's happening now?" Jack's voice is low.

"She's free to go." I answer with a sigh. "There's nothing actually wrong with her. She looks like she's asleep, but she reacted to all of the tests like she's awake."

"So she's ignoring you?" Crow pieces it together.

"Looks like it." I nod solemnly. I hear Aki talking through the wall, although I can't make out most of it. I think she's getting her dressed, which means that she really was ignoring me. A well placed punch in the gut. As if things couldn't get worse.

We stand in silence until Aki emerges with Yuuka on her arm. She stares absentmindedly at the floor. Aki just gives me a look of apology. Nobody says anything. We trail behind them as we walk out. Aki leads Yuuka outside to a taxi. Jack, Crow and I take the responsibility of actually checking her out. They're eager to get people out since they're only setting back up after the power went during the Ark Cradle and the evacuations. I begin to walk to my D-Wheel, but Jack grabs my arm.

"Don't go too quickly," he says. "She needs her time. Remember we left her D-Wheel where it was, it's best that we go get it."

We drive painstakingly slow. I try to focus on the road, but that doesn't do me much good. I just keep thinking of the look of desperation on Yuuka's face as she tried to swap places with me, so that she'd die in my place. What a fool I was.

What could have been my last thoughts were of her. I knew I was breaking that promise. I knew how I was doing her wrong. But sacrificing myself felt like the right thing to do, the only thing. My family is to blame for the Zero Reverse, I couldn't let another disaster happen. Not again.

It's deathly quiet by the time that we arrive home, except for the slow steady beeping of several things which were shut off by the power outage and have since come back on. I fix all of them in the garage. Jack goes upstairs to check on Yuuka, who for once, is not on the couch in the garage.

Then, I realise where I am. I'm in the garage. Memories are creeping back in, and I know why. Bruno is dead, and he's not coming back. I can't pray for that sliver of hope like I did with Yuuka. Bruno, if I can even call him that anymore, will never come back. I take sheets and cover the computers in the garage, along with my D-Wheel. I can't bear to look at them anymore. It just reminds me of late nights working with Bruno here. If platonic soulmates exists, I suppose he was it. I had only known him for a few short months, but our friendship felt so much more real than it should have.

"Bruno?" Crow mutters as he watches me cover everything. He's just arrived back from checking on the kids. I can tell he's keeping a brave face. I don't even have the energy for that right now. For once in my life, I can't keep up my calm exterior.

Not long after, Aki comes downstairs. "I better go check on my parents and make sure they're okay," she says with a melancholy look on her face.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Crow asks, to which Aki nods.

"I'm sorry, Yusei." She says once she's sitting on her D-Wheel. "She hasn't spoken at all, she-" Her face falls as our eyes meet. Do I really look that bad? "I'm sorry." She whispers before leaving.

"I'm gonna go check on her." Crow says before leaving me alone in the garage. That's what I need, to be left alone with my own thoughts.

It feels like there's a large gaping hole in my chest, and it's dragging myself and everything around me into the void. I'm drowning and there's no escape.

Without realising it, nighttime creeps in. That's terrifying to me. My normal nighttime routine is now destroyed. There's no more all nighters with Bruno working on D-Wheels, and there's no sneaking upstairs with Yuuka. I get up to turn the lights, in the hopes that would make me feel the slightest bit better.

It doesn't.

I hear footsteps creaking on the stairs. It's not Jack or Crow, I know that for sure. I turn around to see Yuuka walking slowly down. I recognise the shirt she's wearing as my own that she took months ago to sleep in, that she never returned.

I didn't expect to see her so soon. I was planning on staying down here for the night.  _Give her time_ , Jack said. I watch her with wide eyes as she walks down to the bottom of the steps. My body jerks forward on instinct as she reaches the bottom, but I stop myself before I take a step.

Yuuka doesn't even look at my face, she just stares at my feet. I've always been able to feel parts of what Yuuka calls her  _aura_. Now, it feels different than it did before. Stronger and darker. Unsettling is what I'd call it. She licks her lips, she's reading my aura too.

"Yuuka, I-" I try to say something, but words fail me. We fade back into silence. There's no comfort like there once was. It's tense and awkward. I can't believe what just over twenty-four hours has done to us. I almost feel like I'm staring at a stranger. For some reason, which I'm guessing relates to the other Yuuka, Yuuka's hair has grown long in that short time. It's the longest it's ever been, falling all the way down to her waist. It looks soft, and my first reaction is to reach out and tangle my fingers in it. But I know I can't. It would be wrong.

Yuuka slowly looks around the room, avoiding my eyes at all cost. Her gaze rests on the sheets covering up the computers and my D-Wheel. Tears start to well up in her beautiful, pink eyes. Her face contorts, and her eyes close.

"Yuuka, I'm  _sorry_." I finally manage to get out. "I broke my promise, and you have every right to be mad at me. I just wish that everything can go back to the way it was. I hope that, one day, you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Yuuka finally meets my eyes. The first thing I know how blackened her undereyes look. Her eyes look dead. I feel our mental connection tugging. Sometimes, if I concentrate hard enough, I can feel what she's thinking but never hear it. Gloom and despair. Someone who looks like me flashes into my mind. Is that Z-One? Of course. That's why she can't look at me. She just sees  _him_.

There's silence. Yuuka's face contorts again, this time only angrier. I feel static in the air. It's been welling up every once in a while since we've arrived back. So, Yuuka has been causing this? She doesn't know her own strength sometimes.

"Yuuka." I step towards her. I try to grab her arm, but she just jerks away from me. She turns around, and I start to panic. I try to block her. Yuuka just stares at the ground. I freeze. She doesn't even have to use words. I know exactly how she feels. I can see it when she looks me in the eyes.

"Yuuka…" I mutter as her shoulder brushes against mine as she walks past me. The betrayal in her eyes is burned into my mind. My body turns around as she brushes past me. She walks up the stairs, without having said a single word to me.

I just sink down into the couch. Her eyes still haunt me. Is this how it's going to be? Not only have three people sacrificed their lives for me in twenty-four hours, but now I'm possibly losing my girlfriend, the love of my life? In that moment, I wish they had all just let me throw myself into the core of the Ark Cradle and let me save the City all by myself.

* * *

The morning isn't much better. The garage is colder than it normally is. I haven't slept on that couch in so long that I panic for a second, wondering where I am. The lack of heat that comes from Yuuka is mostly frightening thing. The cold morning air surrounds me completely, enveloping me in its sharpness.

Yuuka disappears within a few minutes of Kaoru showing up to check on her.  _You don't knew him like I did. You don't know what he went through!_  Her words echo in my head for the rest of the day.

So she's trying to come to grips with her identity too? Wondering where she begins and the other Yuuka ends. Wondering if you're really destined to become a mass murderer and try to destroy the City. Wait, that's just me.

Crow and Kaoru organise a search party once darkness falls. They make me stay in the garage on the off chance that Yuuka comes back by herself. Unlikely, I say.

As I sit in the complete silence, it dawns on me exactly what is happening. I remember the time that Yuuka confessed something to me, eyes full of tears. She had trying to kill herself, after she returned from being a Dark Signer. That's what's happening now, isn't it?

The burden of those memories must be too much. She can't look at me. She only sees  _him_. She doesn't know where she begins and the other Yuuka ends. That has to be it. Now, I can only sit and hope that we didn't wait long enough to try and find her. I should have seen this coming.

As bad as it sounds, the two of us rely on each other far more than we should. We don't seek change because we just assume that we'll always be there for each other. The possibility that she may suddenly not be there is terrifying. Something feels wrong in my very core.

The somber feeling hangs in the air as people return from searching. "She's fine," Crow says as he arrives back with Aki, "You'd know that if you ever checked your phone." Jack comes back not long after, followed shortly by Kenta and Miguel. With the addition of those two, the room suddenly feels like a crowd. I can already tell that Yuuka won't like that.

"Hold on, I thought you found Yuuka?" Crow asks as soon as Kaoru walks in the door.

"No, I just know she's coming." Kaoru sighs. Oh gods, there's going to be a scene. I'm not able for this.

Turns out my instinct was right. Takumi walked straight in the door with Yuuka right behind him, kicking off the Takumi drama that I thought finally ended but didn't. Crow takes the initiative to push Takumi, Kenta, Kaoru, and Miguel outside to continue the drama. Something I'm sure we're all endlessly grateful for.

"Are you going to tell us what you were doing?" Yuuka flinches, goosebumps on her arms, at Jack's tone. He's clearly angry, he knew what she was trying to do. "Yuuka." He says when she just stares back at him.

"Jack," I interject, "she doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to."

Jack leaves her alone for now. Crow and Aki disappear in rapid succession, their intentions very clear. Since that leaves Yuuka and I alone in the garage. There's a beat of silence. Yuuka sits down on the couch. I stand aimlessly until she makes eye contact with me. I have to hold back the shiver. Gods, am I that touch starved?

I sit down beside her, cautiously. I notice how much I'm hunched forward. Ah yes, another thing for me to ruin, my posture. I try to say something, anything. Not being able to say things has always been my weakness. I try to let my actions speak for me, but sometimes, actions only make things worse.

"I didn't mean to worry you." Yuuka's head slowly turns to look at me. Hearing her voice after what feels like an eternity is strange. I feel like I could just melt into her hands there and then. I put my hands on the couch to ground myself. Yuuka stares at my hand that's between us, and slowly puts her hand over mine. My eyes widen, going between our hands and her face. "What?" A small chuckle escapes her mouth, it sounds so refreshing right now.

"Didn't expect that, that's all." A small smile creeps onto my face, the first in a long time. I pull my hands away to rub my face. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, I can imagine." The smile on her face fades. "I'm sorry," her voice quiet all of a sudden.

"Don't apologise," I shake my head. "It's not your fault."

"Fine," she answers, "I'm not gonna argue with you tonight." I raise an eyebrow at her. That's not like her at all. Yuuka slips off her shoes and pulls her knees up to her chest, something she does when she's anxious.

"Come here." I stretch my arm out. Yuuka moves quickly to lean into me. I pull her legs over my lap, and her into my arms. Her hands grip my shirt ever so slightly. I feel the gentle rise and fall of her body as she breathes, it's comforting. "I'm not going to make you talk about what happened." I whisper softly. "You can tell me when you're ready."

"We're gonna be okay, aren't we?" Her grip on my shirt tightens.

"Yeah," I answer as I pull her closer. We don't say anything else, we don't need to.

* * *

The next few days are hard. As much as our continuous love declarations make us feel better for a little bit, the feeling doesn't last for long. The topic of discussion has turned to the City giving the highly coveted Key to the City. I joke it's because they can't build another Daedalus Bridge. But jokes can't conceal how uncomfortable the whole prospect makes me. I stand by the fact that I don't deserve any actual praise. I may have dueled Z-One, but that was it. I failed to stop the Ark Cradle when it nearly destroyed the City. Yuuka told me her version of events, and it turns out that she was the one who convinced Z-One to do the right thing in the end and leave the future to us.

So, I did nothing. The City is hailing me as their hero, but me not being there might not have changed much. I'm not a hero, I'm a failure, that's what I am. I'm just a ticking time bomb until I lose Yuuka and try to destroy the City.

I tell Yuuka this, and look her in the eyes. Her first reaction to stand up off the couch. She paces the garage, in complete silence. I'm praying that someone doesn't walk in. I can tell by the way she's moving that she's pissed off.

"Yusei, you're  _not_  Z-One." She finally says after a few minutes. "You will never be Z-One. You have lived completely different lives. You grew up as an orphan in the Satellite, he grew up in the Tops with parents. The things you have learned from that make you different to him. You will never  _make_  the same decisions as him. So? You will  _never_  become Z-One."

"But, it's a possibility-"

"A possibility?" She echoes. There's a beat of silence as she just stares at me. A forced chuckle comes out of her mouth.

"What?" I ask.

"You say it's a possibility, there's a chance of it happening?" I nod. Her face falls into a scowl. "Well, if this is about chance, you should be looking at the odds."

"What do you mean?" I ask again.

"Just think about this." She holds a finger up. "Who's more likely to try to destroy the world because they lost the  _love of their life_?" She says that with air quotes. "You, who has never had a single murderous thought in their life. You, who is self-sacrificing to a fault. You, who could never hurt  _anyone_  if you could." Her face falls. "Or me. Me, who tried to destroy the world because you didn't love me anymore. Me, who tried to kill you for the same reason. Me, who tried to kill themselves in your place. Me, who tried to kill themselves not that long ago because I thought I lost you." There's a pause. "Think about it, Yusei. Who's more likely to try and destroy the City because the other one died? Me or you?"

"I-" I try to force words out of my words, but none come. Yuuka watches my face intently. I meet her eyes. I see anger and desperation. I see a part of myself reflected in her eyes.

"I know you're upset by the people that d-" she pauses, "sacrificed themselves for you. But you can't stay like this forever." She picks up the remains of Bruno's visor that still sits on the desk, over the sheets. "I know it  _hurts_. But you've got to pick yourself up, and carry on. You can't let their sacrifice be in vain. Create a better future, and who knows, maybe we'll meet them there."

There's pure silence. It's very early in the morning, so I doubt anyone else is awake. I understand what Yuuka is saying. But...

"But I don't know how to." I say with a sigh. "I don't know how I'm supposed to change the future. Z-One said it was because of the greed in people's hearts, how am I supposed to stop that?"

Yuuka turns her back and walks away from me. She stops in front of my D-Wheel, still covered by the sheet. She pulls off the sheet in one quick motion.

"This is how," she says bluntly. "We'll duel to decide."

"Are you serious?" I ask. I'm not worried about Yuuka not controlling her powers. Yuuka isn't much of a duelist, she says so herself.

"I am," she turns back to me. "You can learn a lot in a duel."

"And what exactly am I going to learn?"

"You'll see." She says with a smirk before going upstairs. When she comes back down, she's in her riding leathers. "Here," she throws my riding jacket, boots and knee pads. "You'll need these."

"I've missed you in that suit."

"Not the time, Fudo." She says as she ties her hair into a ponytail, like normal. It's then I realise that this is the first time I've seen her hair up since it grew out. "You're staring."

"Your hair…"

"It's long  _and_  in a ponytail, you must be in heaven right now." Am I that obvious? Yes, yes I am. Apparently, I'm the reason she wears her hair like that in the first place. "Come on before you start drooling over me."

Just like I expected, the highways are completely empty. After all, the sun hasn't been up for long and it's a weekend. We start our duel, we take our first turns with not much action.

"You see this?" Yuuka stretches an arm out.

"The City." I answer.

"The City that  _we_  saved. All of Team 5D's was up there in the Ark Cradle. You're a fool for thinking you could do it alone."

Our duel continues. I'm having a harder time against Yuuka than I expected. Her face is completely serious. She's not pulling any punches. I think I'm too hung up on her words.

"You act like you have this great destiny because you're Masahiro Fudo's son, or you're a Signer. Well, let me tell you something, you don't. Anyone could have been a Signer in your place, anyone could have gone into the Ark Cradle and done the same job. You're not some great hero because you're destined to, but because you  _choose_  to be."

"But-"

"I'm not finished," she interrupts. "Stop acting like you're alone, when you're not."

I summon Stardust Dragon, and on Yuuka's turn, she brings out her ace, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. Luckily, I manage to block its effect of banishing Stardust from the field.

"How many time do you think our dragons went face to face?" She smirks. "Z-One and the other Yuuka dueled many times. Do you ever think it was like this?"

"I don't know, did they?"

"No, because they knew something." She suddenly begins to accelerate, and I try to keep up with her. "Something you need to learn, Yusei. I'm not going to tell you what you need to learn. That would surely ruin the entire point, wouldn't it? But I can show you!"

"Bring it on!" I feel a smirk coming onto my face. Am I having fun? I look at my field. I guess there's only one option left.

"Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier attacks Stardust Dragon! Trident Glacial Blast!"

"Not so fast!" I interrupt the attack. I think about what I'm about to do. Yuuka's words slowly start to make sense. "I activate the Trap Card, Doble Passe! When your monster attacks mine, I can change that attack target to myself!"

"What?" Yuuka exclaims.

"But," I continue, "you take damage equal to your monster's attack points. So you know what this means!" The smile doesn't leave my face, and there's one on Yuuka's too.

Our two dragons head for each other before gracefully missing each other. Trishula stops in front of me, and Stardust in front of Yuuka. You take the damage simultaneously, ending our duel in a draw. I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling.

Once the attacks fades, we both slow to a stop and get off our D-Wheels.

"So?" Yuuka asks.

"Well," I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I enjoy the early morning light and the crisp breeze. I open my eyes to Yuuka, looking at me with a warm smile on her face. "I was wrong."

"And?" She prods.

"I can't do this alone. I've never been able to do it alone. I've always had my friends, and  _you_ , by my side. The burden to save the future isn't mine alone, it's all of ours." Yuuka keeps staring at me. "And… I'll never be alone. You'll always be there to support me, and I'll support you. I was wrong to ever think otherwise. You guessed what my facedown was, didn't you? You wanted to end the duel in a draw." A light chuckle leaves my lips. "Because we're equals, I realised that. If I didn't play that card, the duel would have continued. But no, we ended it as equals. Because that's the way it should be. We're in this together, always have been and always will be." Yuuka nods at me, a smile lighting up her entire face. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispers softly.

I approach her and envelop her in my arms. She squeezes me tight, a little more than necessary, but I'll never complain. We stay like that for a few moments, soaking up the atmosphere.

"I have a question," I say. She hums. "What was your facedown? You didn't activate it, so I'm wondering what it is." I let go of Yuuka and walk over to her D-Wheel, taking out her only face down left. "Speed Spell - Rush Recklessly," I read, "a monster gains 700 attack points until the End Phase. 700 was..."

"Exactly enough to defeat you." A giant smirk creeps onto her face. "It's Quick Play too, so if you didn't activate that card, I would have won. And if you got around that, you would have been below the Safety Line and I have another Speed Spell in my hand."

"I don't think you've ever had such good luck in your life," I chuckle to myself. Yuuka gets very unlucky with drawing bad hands, which she blames for her losing

"Yeah, I got people looking out for me. You're  _so_  lucky that I was trying to prove a point. I missed the chance to finally beat you to prove a point. Do you know how much that means?"

"Yeah," I grab her waist and pull her close, "that means you love me a lot."

"You're right," she giggles. "But you're worth it."

* * *

The Key to the City ceremony comes around quicker than I wanted it to. I had to plan a speech, and guess what I didn't do thanks to my anxiety. The start of the event is a blur for me because, again, anxiety.

"Say, boy," an old Senator greets me while I wait for Yuuka, "you must have had some help in that Ark Cradle? Doing all that by yourself seems impossible."

"I had some help from my friends, they helped a lot." I respond honestly.

"And that would be Miss Sasaki, wouldn't it?"

"If I'm being honest, she did most of the work." It flies out of my mouth without a second thought. I shouldn't have said that. Oh, I should not have done that.

"Oh really?" There's a twinkle in his eyes. I recognise it in an instant. Emiko Higashiyama's Father. They don't look alike, but the resemblance is there in the eyes. "That is interesting." He merely nods his head as he retreats back into the crowd that's gathering.

Yuuka arrives not long after that discussion. I don't tell her about it. She confirms that man  _is_  Emiko's father. I try not to focus on it. I just know that Yuuka looks stunning, as always, in her long red dress and hair tied up in a neat bun.

"Thank you, Senator Takahashi and everyone, for this award." I begin my speech. I go blank. I glance at Yuuka in the first row. I just have to speak from the heart. "I feel undeserving of this award." My words echo in the crowd as light gasps. "This award was presented to me, but it could have been given to any number of people. I am being given this award because I dueled Z-One in an attempt to save the City. I could not have won that duel without the help from my Team 5D's teammates. They are just as deserving of this award as me. Anyone could have taken my place. I just wanted to save my home, Neo Domino City. Who's to say that anyone here wouldn't have done the same in my place?" Yuuka was right. Saying this  _feels_  right. I meet Yuuka's eyes, she looks pleasantly surprised. I pause. "Neo Domino City, if I may be honest, I did not save the City." The gasps become louder. The look on Yuuka's face has turned into pure dread. "I dueled Z-One. I may have won the duel, but I did not save the City. The Ark Cradle continued to fall. Z-One, as his last act in this world, gave up his life to stop it from falling. With that, he allowed us to take our future with our own hands. I was not the one who convinced Z-One to let us take control of our future." I don't want to put Yuuka in the spotlight, but it's the right thing to do. "Yuuka Sasaki." Yuuka's first instinct is to hide her face. "She was the one who saved the City. She did what I could not. She saved the City, not with Duel Monsters, but with her courage and words. She is the one deserving of this award."

The room goes deathly silent. This feels like the right thing. I stare down at Yuuka who in the first row, who finally looks up. I notice Senator Higashiyama nodding from where he's sitting, behind Yuuka. Senator Takahashi, who introduced me, makes a move towards the podium, so I step down. Am I doing the right thing?

"Thank you, Mr. Fudo, for your speech. My colleagues and I agree that your bravery in the face of such danger in your fight for all of our futures is still warranting of this award. But, we invite Ms. Sasaki to speak if she wishes."

Oh gods, what have I done? I didn't think this through. There's a pause, but Yuuka does stand up and head to the podium.

"Welcome Ms. Yuuka Sasaki to the stage." There's an applause as she walks. Our eyes meet as she walks across the stage. She relaxes when I smile at her, which makes me feel a little better. There's another pause as she stands at the podium. Her broad shoulders do not shake.

"People of Neo Domino City, I hesitate to call myself the saviour of this City. I am only a normal girl from the Satellite. I grew up in this City, it's shaped me into the person who stands before you now. Everything I've experienced here has led me to where I am now, to say those words to Z-One when I stood on the Ark Cradle as it fell. I agree with Yusei. Anyone here in this room could have saved this City. I am not unique. I am ordinary, unimportant. I am undeserving of the attention which you give me now. Anyone from this City, who's been where I have been, who's felt what I have felt, could have said those same words. I love this City. If any of you listening, love this City like I do, you could have been here instead of me. All of you are just as deserving as me of that title. As for the uncertain future, you will, no doubt, look to us. We saved you once, so we can save you again. That thought will surely cross your minds. But I say this to you, do not ask us to save you,  _ask each other_." She takes a breath. "I think we are all deserving of that title. Every single person has the chance to change fate. You must grasp it with your own hands. You can prevent another Z-One from rising again. Saving only one person could change everyone's future. If someone had saved Z-One in his doomed future, I would not be speaking in front of you now. The only way to prevent the terrible future Z-One spoke of is to change our future. It is shaped by the people who are here now, not just a team of duelists. If you believe there is a future, you must fight for it. I ask of you, people of Neo Domino, become your own saviour. Together, we can change the future." She looks back at me and smiles. "When they call out Yusei's name, or my name, saying that we are the saviours of this City. Know that we are only thinking of you. We are not the only saviours, each and every one of you is able to be someone's saviour. That is enough. You only need to look at me to see that is true. Thank you."

She takes another deep breath. I notice her shoulders start to shake ever so slightly. Applause begins slowly but becomes louder until it thunders around the room. She bows slightly before leaving the podium, and moving to stand beside me, still on the stage.

"Thank you, Ms. Sasaki, for your words." Senator Takahashi says as he returns to the podium. "That marks the end of the ceremony. We cordially invite you into the reception for the afterparty." The audience claps again. Then, it dissipates as everyone begins to stand up.

"Thank the gods that's over." She mutters under her breath.

"Tell me about it," I answer. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think they'd pull you up." I watch her face for her reaction. She looks incredibly poised for what's going on.

"Don't worry about it," she shrugs her shoulders in response. "I think I needed to get that off my chest."

"Great speech, by the way." I properly turn to look at her. "I wasn't expecting that." For being put on the spot like that, it was rather impressive. If I didn't know any better, I think a part of her expected that.

"Rude."

"You know what I mean." I roll my eyes.

We immediately get wheeled off for press interviews. Somehow, the focus is on me and the WRGP. I suppose avoiding interviews after matches has come back and bit me in the ass. Once we finally get back into the main reception hall, people are dancing to some light music. Senator Higashiyama whisks Yuuka off for a dance. I can't help but be cautious of that. I remember that glint in his eyes, he must be up to something.

Senator Higashiyama leaves. I try to make my way over to Yuuka, only to have Raiden Kimura beat me to the chase. I watch them carefully. I trust Yuuka, but I don't trust him. Not since he's tried to murder her at least twice, and other reasons which Yuuka has cried about in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of it.

"You didn't tell me Raiden was here?" Crow exclaims as Yuuka approaches us, leaving Raiden in the crowd.

"Cause I'll go over there if you want me to." Jack adds on. They're treating Yuuka like she can't take care of herself. Yuuka can ask for help when she needs to.

"It was fine, I made sure he didn't do anything." I sigh as I move closer to Yuuka. "What was that about?"

"Just talking. He still wants to do that." Not who I was talking about, but okay.

"And Senator Higashiyama?"

"He was just being polite." She lies. It's subtle, but I pick up on it.

"Okay," I drop the subject.

"I'll tell you what he said later." She leans into me and whispers. Bingo. I just nod. Just as that happens, I hear the clinking of a glass. The crowd moves, and Senator Takahashi stands at the door on the way to the main hall.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Yuuka immediately grasps my hand, and I squeeze it tight. I suppose I'm about to find out what Senator Higashiyama said. "In addition to the Key to the City, we are going to celebrate both Mr. Fudo's and Ms. Sasaki's bravery and courage even further." The crowd fills with mutters. I turn to look at Yuuka, who keeps her eyes on Senator Takahashi. "My fellow Senators and I would like to announce something here and now to honour our saviours."

"Yuuka, what's going on?" I ask, but she doesn't even look at me.

"We are pleased to announce that the education system, proposed by Ms. Sasaki, shall be put into action. This system will allow any former Satellite resident to the right to free education. The government will give aid to any Satellite who wishes to start their education. It will allow a Satellite resident to begin their education at any stage, even third-level university, if they so wish." There's applause. I turn to look at Yuuka again, who still doesn't look back at me. I remember Yuuka mentioning bringing this up to Senator Higashiyama, not that long ago.

"Keep listening," she says as she holds up her free hand.

"Not only this, but the government will be drafting bills to stop any discrimination against former Satellite residents and psychic duelists inside our City. No former Satellite resident or psychic shall ever be discriminated against based on their former residence or ability to materialise Duel Monsters." There's more applause. "Now, let us raise a glass to the woman who made this possible. To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki! Long may our saviour queen reign! To Ms. Yuuka Sasaki!" Senator Takahashi holds a glass of champagne up for a toast. The crowd turn to look at her, glasses in the air. I see what's happening now.

"To Yuuka!" They drone at once. The crowd claps again before returning to normal.

"I can explain," Yuuka says as she turns around to our group.

"Anti-discriminatory bill?" Crow looks at her, his eyebrows practically at his hairline.

"Yeah, Mr. Higashiyama said that the government is putting it in place as a way of saying thanks. We're both Satellites after all." Yuuka states very plainly. That's not it. Nothing in life is free, Martha told us as children. What price did she pay?

"Yuuka, this is  _huge_." Aki's eyes are wide. "Do you know what this means? Between the access to education and the bill, you're changing the lives of everyone who came from the Satellite."

"Yeah, it's crazy, but yes." There's a strange look in Yuuka's eyes. "And Crow, I'm sorry about our argument the other day. I'll admit that you were right. I refuse to set aside my pride. You were perfectly right about your reasons for joining Security. You were doing it for your kids, and I understand now. I'm sorry." Yuuka sounds too put together. She's been rehearsing this.

"Don't worry about it, Yuuka-" Crow seems very confused by her words.

"That's why I've decided to apply for Security myself." That's it. She's becoming a poster child for them. They called her  _the Saviour Queen_ , and now she'll watch over the City.

"You? Security?" Jack squints at her. "Why?"

That's a good question, but I think I know the answer. I have been talking about going to university to learn Physics in the hopes of preventing Z-One's future. The education plan Yuuka put forward would get me there. In return, she is being forced into a job that she doesn't want.

In the Ark Cradle, Yuuka tried to sacrifice herself for me and failed. Now, I suppose she's finally getting what she wanted. Just like when she joined Black Flag after being left out of Team Satisfaction. Yuuka always finds a way to get what she wants.

"Well, I'd be doing something with my life. I can stop the gang problem in this City that way. I'm tired of being rejected for basic fast-food and retail jobs." Yuuka answers. I'm surprised by the hint of sincerity in her voice. Is she forcing herself to come around to the idea?

"You've got a point there…" Aki says, turning to look at Crow. Everyone else seems confused by Yuuka's words, but I know Yuuka better than she knows herself.

"Excuse me for a second." Yuuka retreats into the crowd after glancing over her shoulder. I try to see where she's going. Raiden Kimura, of course.

"She's gone back over to Raiden." Crow points out immediately.

"Why is she doing that?" Jack scowls in their direction.

"Unfinished business, I suppose." I answer. I think, deep down, Yuuka still has some attachment to him, regardless of everything. Maybe, I'm too forgiving but I hardly see the big deal about her talking to him. Maybe it's because I know he's seeking forgiveness.

"What do you think about her deal?" Aki asks after a pause. "The education plan seems a little suspicious after they made that speech about her, and now she's joining Security?"

"I was thinking the same thing," I sigh. "You know just as well as I do that there's no stopping her." She called me self-sacrificing, but I think she needs to look in the mirror.

The conversation turns to normal. I can't bear to join in because all I can think about is Yuuka. Did she really do all that for me? I suppose I should look at it as she loves me that much. But on the other hand, is this too much of a burden to bear?

"Yusei Fudo." I hear my name being called out. Raiden Kimura walks slowly over to me, stopping just beside me.

"Hello," I greet him casually. The conversation among my friends has screeched to a halt, they watch us silently. I spot Yuuka in the crowd, talking to some of the waiters.

"They love her already." Raiden says, nodding his head in the direction of Yuuka. "I suppose they're right in calling her a queen."

"I never had any doubts," I respond. "It's not the first time she's been called that." Now she's the Saviour Queen, but before that, she was the Fabled Queen, a jest made by Benjamín but a fitting one.

"They chose her." He continues, carefully choosing his words. I have no doubt who  _they_  means. "You know why? Because they think she can rally the entire City behind her cause."

"She's done it before and she'll do it again," is all I say.

There's beat of silence. I know we're both looking at Yuuka in the crowd. The two waiters look overjoyed just to be in her presence. A warm smile graces her face.

"You're lucky, you know." Raiden finally breaks the silence. "After everything I've done, I've lost her. Meanwhile, you've only helped her, a lot by the sounds of it. You get to keep her."

"You don't understand," I say. "It's not one helping the other. We help each other, that's why she's by my side. I don't get to  _keep her_. It's why she's choosing to stay at my side, because we're a team."

"I suppose you're right." Raiden says with a sad smile. "I was wrong about a lot of things." I watch his face carefully. He was so capable of horrid, evil things, and here he is, trying to repent. He's too late, as Yuuka said. She'll never forgive him, but that won't get in the way of him trying to redeem himself.

"You were," I agree. Although Yuuka's physical scars from him have healed, the emotional scars are likely to last a lot longer.

"I'm sorry," he sighs. "I've done a lot of terrible things. To Yuuka, and to you. I've always been jealous of you. She always seemed to love you more than she loved me. Now I see why." There's a pause. "Goodbye, Yusei Fudo. I can't stay in this City anymore. It's Yuuka's City, no matter how much I try to ignore it. It will always remind me of her, and that's something I can't handle. You won, Yusei. Enjoy it, and don't let her go." Raiden walks off in Yuuka's direction. A somber air surrounds them as he says goodbye. I slowly walk over to her. She looks at me, just as Raiden disappears from view. She turns around, looking for him. When I reach out for hand, she turns back around to me.

"Yuuka," I say delicately. "He's gone, isn't he?" There's a strong sense of melancholy in her eyes.

"Yeah," she nods, "but I don't care. I don't need him in my life. I've moved on." Despite everything, her voice is still strong and steady.

"You have," I smile. Yuuka takes one of my hands and puts it on her waist, and intertwines my other hand with hers, before resting her other hand on my shoulder. "Wait, you want us to-"

"Dance? Yes." She begins to guide us through the motions of dancing. "Come on, it's easy."

"Could be worse," I say despite my nerves. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it."

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"We'll have to dance at our wedding." Yuuka chokes a little at my words, her face turning bright red.

"Our wedding?" She echoes. "You've thought about it?"

"Yeah," I answer honestly. Yuuka is so flustered that she can barely keep eye contact with me. "It sounds nice. Have you?"

"For a lot longer than I'm willing to admit."

"I love you," I shake my head with a smile. We've always talked about our future together, but this is the first time the word  _wedding_  has been uttered. It's nice to know that she's thought about it too. "You know that?"

"I do, and I love you too." She nods right back at me, and I feel my smile growing wider. At least twice a day, I ask her that question. Building up the trust that I had broken is taking its time. But I know, one day, she'll trust me again.

"You're not facing this alone." I say as my hand slowly strokes her waist as we dance. She seems to melt under my touch. "This whole saviour thing, going for Security, your trust issues, the other Yuuka's memories. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you." Her head dips a little. I pull her closer and hear head rests on my shoulder. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

We stay like that for a while in pure, comfortable silence. She's so close to me that I feel warm and cozy, despite being dressed up for once. I want to pat her head but I know she'd complain that I'd mess up her bun.

"You did it for me, didn't you?" I finally gain the courage to ask.

"Of course I did." She chuckles. "You're going to university and you're going to like it."

"Even if it means a lifetime in Security for you."

"Yusei Fudo, I would go to the ends of the Earth and even further for you. I would do more if I could."

The rest of the night is oddly calm. The press seem to be leaving us alone for the time being. We spend the rest of the night with our friends, talking about anything other than the political stuff, because they seem to get the hint. As we leave, Yuuka stops to look at me with a wide smile. I go to question her, but then I notice the press pointing their cameras at us. I see what she's going. So, I play along with her and smile right back.

* * *

Yuuka decides to start therapy, a promise she made with Takumi. As part of the therapy, she begins keeping two journals, one with her memories and one for the other Yuuka's memories. She reads them aloud to me as she writes them. I slowly learn more and more about the other Yuuka and Z-One. The line between Yuuka and the other Yuuka slowly becomes more and more defined. I begin to understand what Yuuka meant, that I am a different person to Z-One.

The future only becomes brighter and brighter for us.

Team 5D's officially splits up as everyone begins to chase their own futures. Yuuka and I, the only ones remaining in the City, stand strong together. I start university, and work on a new Moment system at the same time. Yuuka starts in the new Police force with Kaoru. We move into our own little apartment together. I quickly get integrated into Yuuka's group of friends with open arms. For once, life is  _good_. Except for the random appearances of paparazzi, which Yuuka always handles with her photogenic smile. Yuuka complains about her press interviews and speeches at various charity events, including events by the charity named after her. Deep down, I can tell she loves making a difference.

This City is changing, and she's right at the front of it.

I'm so proud of her. I love watching her work, whether it's cruising around on patrol or opening a children's hospital. It gives me so much hope for the future. Even on the dark days, she refuses to give up. With Yuuka by my side, I know we can stop that bad future.

On the second anniversary of the Ark Cradle falling, Yuuka begins to write a letter to the other Yuuka, as per her therapist's recommendation. Yuuka's nearly finished with her therapy sessions, which seems unbelievable considering how she started them. They haven't solved everything, nightmares and unwanted thoughts still hover, but she's better than she was.

I arrive home from a lecture while Yuuka is still writing the letter. She's taken today off from work. She's all dressed up for our date night tonight already, a blue skirt and white blazer over a black crop top. She even has a full face of makeup and everything. I get dressed and sit on the couch beside the desk and wait for her.

"So, until I know the future is safe, I'll carry on." She narrates the ending part of her letter. "Forever yours, Yuuka Hattori-Sasaki."

"It's done?" I ask.

"Yes," she sighs in relief. A big grin breaks out onto her face. "That felt good."

"I bet it did." I nod. "That, and you finished the journals this morning."

"It's amazing," Yuuka says as she holds up the journal containing the other Yuuka's memories, "her entire life is in here."

"If you get asked to write a book about Z-One, you got a handy reference right there." I joke.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Her eyes widen. "I couldn't use my journal though."

It's true. Since becoming the poster child against the bad future, Yuuka didn't tell the whole story. He was nothing but a villain, she said. It would inspire the people of the City to prove Z-One wrong, that the City wouldn't fall to ruin this time.

"That's true," I mutter.

"No one mourns the wicked," Yuuka says as she stares at her journal. There's a pause. "Maybe I could write a fictional version. Make it a tragic love story." She chuckles. "Every story is a love story, after all. Though I have one question," she hums. "Which step was the step too far?"

"Huh?"

"It's nothing," she says, putting the journals back on the desk. There's a pause as she smiles to herself. "Our love story won't be a tragic one."

"Of course it won't." I nod. "We're going to save the future. We'll make them proud."

"Yeah, we will." She looks at me with warm eyes. "Are you ready to go?" She asks. "We have a hot date to catch."

"Wouldn't miss that for the world."

Yuuka and I head out of our apartment and into the fresh City air. Sometimes, we just take walks around the City. Through the bustling City centre, to the docklands and the fresh sea air, to the Daimon Area and watch some duels. We drive through the Satellite, and through the suburbs.

Why? Because no one can stop us. This City is  _ours_. Because we were the ones who saved it.

I clutch the ring box in my jacket pocket. At the end of our date, I'll bring Yuuka to the place where the Ark Cradle disappeared. Where one part of our lives ended and another began. There, we can begin another chapter, just the two of us.

Sure, the future seems terrifying, but with Yuuka at my side, it seems a little less daunting. We can do it, I know we can. As long as we have each other, we can overcome anything. We've done it before and we'll do it again. Until we know the future is safe, we'll carry on  _together_.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is the end of the Waking Up Normal saga! It's been a long and rewarding road. I want to thank everyone who has read my stuff and made it this far. A special shoutout to my gf actualnerdlord, and my good friends overthemoonday and EibonVirgo, for supporting me through all of this!
> 
> As for what's next, I'll leave you to pick up on my hints. I'll see you next update!


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